Is Alex Rance the best defender in the game today? Is he the best full-back of all-time?

[Ron The Bear]

Make way for the offended! Make way! Make way!

 

[Sector 7G]

Rance is the best defender in my 30 years of watching the game. And it isn't even close. He is levels above anything else I have seen the past 30 years.

You obviously don't put much emphasis on performances in finals when measuring the greats.

 

[Jeff76]

Rance has become a great full back because of how much of the ball the Richmond defence see, Scarlett and Sos all day and every day.

 

[romeohwho]

So accurate, it needs repeating!

The media are sycophants ... throw a dog a bone and suddenly you've got unconditional love.

Now I don't like Rance at all. Which is somewhat attributable to the over the top accolades he receives. Now I can happily admit that he is a very good player. He towelled up my mob. And was terrific yesterday too. So objectively it is easy to say he is a gun player. But let's not pretend he is infallible - I've seen him beaten by kids, the jack watts incident was poor, his diving and flopping is an indictment on his footballing character yet you will only hear how he is light years ahead of any defender. Which is crap. Rance may or may not be top of the tree as far as best in the league, but talia, lever, Hurley, docherty, McGovern all have legitimate claims this year as being defensive top dog. But you wouldn't know it if you listen to the meeja

McGovern-the media salivate over him, talia is always appreciated. Hurley gets plenty of attention from the media. All good players but not in Rance's class. Just because the media talk him up doesn't mean you have to turn on him. Of course he isn't infallible-I don't know a player without flaws but he isn't a flopper and this stuff about indictments on his character-just silly. A very good footballer why not try to enjoy his game.

 

[Ron The Bear]

Rance has become a great full back because of how much of the ball the Richmond defence see

More spoont from the bleachers. Richmond's conceded about the same number of I50's as the other sides in the eight (but fewer than Geelong).

Come back with some facts.

 

[smasha]

lol,hashtags galore.

Rance is brilliant.

 

[Bardo State]

And Astbury was basically BOG for us. So it didn't hurt us that much.

I was very surprised by how well he performed in the role. I didn't have him pegged as having the kind of defensive IQ to pull it off like he did.

 

[Farm Boy]

You obviously don't put much emphasis on performances in finals when measuring the greats.

If there is a list for best full-back of all time then it starts after Alex Rance.

 

[Scotland]

More spoont from the bleachers. Richmond's conceded about the same number of I50's as the other sides in the eight (but fewer than Geelong).

Come back with some facts.

You mind repeating that to your own fan base who insist on bringing up how poor Richmond have been, how Rance holds the defence together by himself etc?

 

[TiggerMan22]

You mind repeating that to your own fan base who insist on bringing up how poor Richmond have been, how Rance holds the defence together by himself etc?

Who said that

 

[Scotland]

You obviously don't put much emphasis on performances in finals when measuring the greats.

Richmond fan. Last 30 years.

By my count that's 9 finals, or 'as many as Freo since 2012'.

0/3 since Rance has been in. But he's better than SOS, Scarlett etc. Better than Jakovich who kept Carey to 2 goals in 3 finals, too. #goat

 

[Scotland]

Who said that

First Rance thread you've been in?

Richmond were 6th for most I50s conceded last year playing 22 games, so effectively 4th taking out GWS and Sydney.

 

[Blue1980]

Before this article I don't know anyone who would of ever entertained rance was better than SOS, Scarlett, or even fletcher or Lake.

He's the best of right now, not sure how he could be in this conversation when all the others mentioned have multiple big game performances, premierships etc.

Also way less dominant forwards now, so what metric is this based on?

 

[sataris]

so what metric is this based on?

The desire of Richmond fans to be relevant.

 

[Blue1980]

The desire of Richmond fans to be relevant.

But their everyone's GF already, what more do they want?

 

[MUYB]

I'd take Liam Jones, personally.

 

[master bate]

Alternative Rance take:

No doubt the guy is a freak. Best around right now and an all time great.

But I don't love the way Richmond use him which is putting him on a bad tall and them letting him run his own zone defending. It works great for him which then means it works at least pretty well for the team but maybe not as amazingly as the Tigers think at times. Yeah Rance is so often spoiling and intercepting because they rely on him to do that and it all feeds back in to that situation again.

I'd rather the Tigers get a bit more sophisticated with their defending and encourage other defenders to intercept and rebound and stop the ball even getting to a contest involving Rance as frequently as it does now.

 

[TiggerMan22]

First Rance thread you've been in?

Richmond were 6th for most I50s conceded last year playing 22 games, so effectively 4th taking out GWS and Sydney.

So no one?
Thats something that was said last year, because it was true.
This year any Richmond supporter knows Astubry has been fantastic aswell. So I really dont know who would be saying Rance does it by himself.

 

[TiggerMan22]

Richmond fan. Last 30 years.

By my count that's 9 finals, or 'as many as Freo since 2012'.

0/3 since Rance has been in. But he's better than SOS, Scarlett etc. Better than Jakovich who kept Carey to 2 goals in 3 finals, too. #goat

They must have changed those 3 finals to 1 on 1 games. I swear there was 22 players for each team. Eh who knows.

 

[Ron The Bear]

First Rance thread you've been in?

Richmond were 6th for most I50s conceded last year playing 22 games, so effectively 4th taking out GWS and Sydney.

And 15th, 11th, 14th, 16th in the years before that. But apparently he became great through weight of numbers.

 

[Ron The Bear]

I'd rather the Tigers get a bit more sophisticated with their defending and encourage other defenders to intercept and rebound and stop the ball even getting to a contest involving Rance as frequently as it does now.

So would I.

When we get tired and the opposition constantly breaks through the press, is usually when Rance is called upon to do the Superman thing.

 

[Bazzar]

I'd take Liam Jones, personally.

Haha, funny

 

[Summer Nights]

Hurley has never lost a game for Essendon.

Rance lost Richmond the game against GWS.

 

[Boxhead_31]

Statistically speaking isn't Liam Jones the best defender in the game ATM?

 

[nineteen eighty]

Sydney won in the end but if they'd left Franklin down there, they may have won a bit easier, it could have dulled Rance's influence in that last quarter when he didn't have Buddy to worry about.

He's probably the best key defender going around at the moment, hard to compare him to other names thrown up because of the way the game is played now. I'd still prefer a Scarlett or Lake type. My current favourite defender and probably favourite player in the league is Steven May.

Scarlett I hear you. He was a fantastic KPD and Rance imo has not yet reached Scarlett's level. He may get there by the end of his career but not there yet.

Lake - nah he has him well and truly covered.