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

[U2tigers]

Frankly I don't see what all the hoopla is all about. Reasonable one on one and good third man up but frankly no better than Nick Maxwell, let alone any of the real great players.
And unlike Nick Maxwell he hasn't done the business in September.
A shame Daniher didn't get any real supply or else we could've had the opportunity to see how he matches up on the number one forward. He'd have comprehensively wet himself and been made to look like the media creation that he is I dare say.

I just spat up my coffee. You were joking weren't you.

If not take a break from big footy and get a good dose of reality.

 

[Moshie The Mook]

Not sure if you have been watching the Bombers but Watson is not even in our top 10. Zaharakis has been good the past three weeks and is turning 27 this year. Younger than some of your best players like Riewoldt/Rance.

I wasn't saying we have an awesome list or anything. I don't really care if other Essendon supporters overrate our list. I was replying to a guy who said Essendon are an old team with no future. My opinion is that is far from the truth with young players like Daniher, Parish, Merrett, Fantasia, McGrath etc. If you think otherwise feel free to make the case.

I watched you closely last night. You are soft. There is nothing I respect less than a soft team.

Please show me examples where you were ruthless in the contest and hard at the ball and the player. Exactly, there are none

I rest my case.

 

[Scotland]

McGovern with 22 touches and 9 marks. A lazy 16 intercept possession among that.

Kept Patton to 2 goals and came off him to help keep Cameron to 2 also.

Can only imagine the collective circle jerk if Rance put up those numbers.

 

[Knox Harrington]

I just spat up my coffee. You were joking weren't you.

If not take a break from big footy and get a good dose of reality.

Post based on fact.
Rance has won one b and f. In 2015. And what a fabulous finals series the tigers had. Covered yourselves in glory.
Maxwell on the other hand, captained his team to flag.
Rance gets away with sticking his hands in people's backs.
I'd suggest he watches some Dustin Fletcher video to see how a real great goes about it.
By the way Fletch won two flags and won a b and f in a team that the greatest season of all time.

 

[maddog37]

Dale Morris is a better defender.

 

[Knox Harrington]

Dale Morris is a better defender.

And he's done the business in September too.

 

[Shadeeq]

I watched you closely last night. You are soft. There is nothing I respect less than a soft team.

Please show me examples where you were ruthless in the contest and hard at the ball and the player. Exactly, there are none

I rest my case.

I never said we are soft or aren't. All I commented on was the quality of our youth vs the tigers. Your best young players are Rioli, Bolton, Menadue, Elton...I rest my case.

 

[Moshie The Mook]

McGovern with 22 touches and 9 marks. A lazy 16 intercept possession among that.

Kept Patton to 2 goals and came off him to help keep Cameron to 2 also.

Can only imagine the collective circle jerk if Rance put up those numbers.

golf clap

 

[MightyTiger]

Oh you know me, I'm always happy to offer my thoughts...

So the game. Essendon won the clearances, disposal count, tackles, contested ball - effectively a 'you name it' exercise.

However they were absolutely shithouse with their disposal, which resulted in turnover after turnover after turnover. A more clear cut case of 'one team lost it, the other side didn't win it' you'll scarcely find.

But now to the part you're really here for...

You have no idea how much I felt like tweaking my nipples when I awoke to the giddy delight of Richmond fans on this very thread.

And it was so laughably predictable. You can almost see the tiny cogs in tiny minds turning!

"Whaddya mean Hurley is better than Rance? We'll show him dagnammit, game against Essendon coming up this week (what an odd coincidence that was...).

Wait for it, here we go..

ZOMG WE WON! WE WONNNNN!!!! SEE? SEEEEEE?!?!?! RANCE IS BETTER! HE'S BETTTAAAAAAAAAKLFKISCKUYSOISDISKISLDSCNKL!!!!!!!!!"

Yeah... except no.

Once again, Hurley cleanly outperforms Rance.

Essendon managed, due to it's shithouse disposal, a paltry 42 inside 50s. And yet the defense led by the supposed greatest defender ever to have pulled on a guernsey conceded 10 goals. How is that? The Rance led defense leaks a goal 25% of the time the ball enters the forward 50? even though the disposal was, as we know, utter rubbish.

What exactly was he doing?

So the ball comes in. Is Rance intercepting it? Well no, not really because he only rebounded the ball 3 times for the game. So maybe he's just punching it away from the attacking forwards? Well no, not that either because his 1%ers were way down.

Ok, ok, maybe he took one for the team and simply performed a complete shutdown role on the oppositions best forward. Yeah, nah, considering that the oppositions best forward was the leading goal kicker on the ground.

So what does he actually do? The answer is, not much - because the fact that Richmond managed to concede ten goals when the ball was barely sighted in the defensive 50 suggests he's actually pretty poor at, ya know, his job.

Hurley on the other hand? 27 disposals, 10 contested. 8 rebounds. And importantly, the defense that he leads conceded only the 11 goals despite the major inside 50 advantage due to the aforementioned shitness of Essendons disposal.

Now granted, Hurley himself didn't dispose of the ball well on occasion (yet still ran at the same DE% as Rance basically). But anyone thinking that Hurley wasn't clearly the better player is kidding themselves.

In fact, the gap was so large that honestly I think Rance would be very, very lucky to be considered in the top 5 defenders in the league. His reputation far exceeds his actual ability as a footballer.

Delicious.

Sent from my HTC 2PS6200 using Tapatalk

 

[Damon_3388]

Putting the all-time discussion aside (extremely hard to compare between eras, especially with rule changes), Rance is #1 in the league in 1%ers per game (spoils, smothers, shepherds, knock-on) and #3 in intercept possessions per game this season. In terms of actually defending (as opposed to attacking from defence, a la Michael Hurley, who is #2 in rebound 50s per game, and is top 30 in metres gained per game, and is top 10 in intercept possessions, but isn't inside the top 40 in 1%ers), what more does Rance need to do to prove he's the best in the business right now?

 

[Moshie The Mook]

what more does Rance need to do to prove he's the best in the business right now?

He doesn't need to do anything as he is clearly the best defender. The rest of the anti-Rance discussion is a bigfooty sewing circle/barbershop argument by really sad boring folk with too much time on their hands.

Truth be told I really enjoy watching Hurley play. Makes me appreciate Rance even more.

 

[Scotland]

Why do whatever stats Rance happens to be leading suddenly become the benchmark(s) for best key defender in the game?

He didn't lead the comp in 1%ers last year in total or per game, but now people won't STFU about it.

2016 top 3s:

1%ers: Rowe, Talia, Tom McDonald
R50: Tarrant, Grundy, Tom McDonald
CM: McGovern, Grundy, Henderson
K: Grundy, Tom McDonald, Tarrant
H: Talia, Grundy/Rance =2
M: Rance, Tom McDonald, Tarrant

All this tells me is that Tarrant, Grundy and Tom McDonald are heavily underrated. And no Rance doesn't catapult to #1 in everything on a per game basis from only playing 20 games.

Of course the justification last year is how Rance is so attacking and sets up play from defence. Uncontested marks and handballs made him 'clear #1'. This year it's all about the 1%ers. Can people just admit they've already determined Rance is #1 and will just use whatever stats they think supports that conclusion?

 

[TiggerMan22]

Of course the justification last year is how Rance is so attacking and sets up play from defence. Uncontested marks and handballs made him 'clear #1'. This year it's all about the 1%ers. Can people just admit they've already determined Rance is #1 and will just use whatever stats they think supports that conclusion?

Rance is no.1. Anyone that watched footy knows this, but some people need stats or they won't listen.
Commentators haven't been saying for the last 2 years that Rance is one of the best key defenders, they say he is the best. They don't say that unless it's pretty clear cut and universally accepted.

 

[Moshie The Mook]

Why do whatever stats Rance happens to be leading suddenly become the benchmark(s) for best key defender in the game?

He didn't lead the comp in 1%ers last year in total or per game, but now people won't STFU about it.

2016 top 3s:

1%ers: Rowe, Talia, Tom McDonald
R50: Tarrant, Grundy, Tom McDonald
CM: McGovern, Grundy, Henderson
K: Grundy, Tom McDonald, Tarrant
H: Talia, Grundy/Rance =2
M: Rance, Tom McDonald, Tarrant

All this tells me is that Tarrant, Grundy and Tom McDonald are heavily underrated. And no Rance doesn't catapult to #1 in everything on a per game basis from only playing 20 games.

Of course the justification last year is how Rance is so attacking and sets up play from defence. Uncontested marks and handballs made him 'clear #1'. This year it's all about the 1%ers. Can people just admit they've already determined Rance is #1 and will just use whatever stats they think supports that conclusion?

Ooo italics.

Did you use those for emphasis?

You need to watch Rance in action to appreciate his herculean abilities. He anticipates the play 2 kicks in advance.

It would be empowering for you to leave your mums basement, drive to melbourne, and actually watch the phenom in action

 

[Scotland]

Rance is no.1. Anyone that watched footy knows this, but some people need stats or they won't listen.
Commentators haven't been saying for the last 2 years that Rance is one of the best key defenders, they say he is the best. They don't say that unless it's pretty clear cut and universally accepted.

So you've got nothing. Roger.

Commentators call Jack Steven Jack Stephens. He's been playing since 2009. I don't put too much stock in what they say.

 

[Scotland]

Ooo italics.

Did you use those for emphasis?

You need to actually watch Rance in action to appreciate his herculean abilities. It helps if you even watch him live. He anticipates the play 2 kicks in advance.

It would be empowering for you to leave your mums basement, drive to melbourne, and actually watch the phenom in action

LOL.

I've seen Rance play many times. Very good player. Good Swan Districts boy too. Shame he's elected to waste his talents at Richmond.

Keep pretending he's some sort of once in a generation talent, and keep under performing. Works for me.

 

[Moshie The Mook]

LOL.

I've seen Rance play many times. Very good player. Good Swan Districts boy too. Shame he's elected to waste his talents at Richmond.

Keep pretending he's some sort of once in a generation talent, and keep under performing. Works for me.

Good ordinary player then?

 

[citizen-erased]

Rance is no.1. Anyone that watched footy knows this, but some people need stats or they won't listen.
Commentators haven't been saying for the last 2 years that Rance is one of the best key defenders, they say he is the best. They don't say that unless it's pretty clear cut and universally accepted.

this is not what is in dispute.
The question is whether he is the best in the AFL now and all time.
Clear best now is not clear cut. I reckon there's a top 5 of Hurley, Rance, Talia, Davis and May.
All time is an easy no. He is not the best defender of all time.

 

[TiggerMan22]

A nice showcase of him playing off his man to intercept.


A nice showcase of his 1 on 1 skills. I guess people have such short memories that they can't remember what happened before this season? He was the best 1 on 1 defender in the game before we started giving Astbury the no 1 forward.


And an article from back then.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/a...k=a2d94ef7ce73484b0e1b4fdc73bb2465-1495970319

 

[TiggerMan22]

this is not what is in dispute.
The question is whether he is the best in the AFL now and all time.
Clear best now is not clear cut. I reckon there's a top 5 of Hurley, Rance, Talia, Davis and May.
All time is an easy no. He is not the best defender of all time.

Did you read the whole comment? I said they HAVN'T been saying that. They say he is THE best. Which is the question. And yes it is clear cut. Hes been the best for the last few years.

I know Brownlow votes don't really show much, buuut Rance is above the rest because he is a legitimate game winner. Others might be as good in 1 on 1s or rebounding, but hes the whole package. From defense, rebounding and attack he has more impact than any others. And they only give brownlow votes to the players that you can see make an impact.
Brownlow votes in the last 2 years.
Rance - 15
Talia - 2
Hurley - 5
May - 6
Davis - 1

 

[Moshie The Mook]

Rance may not even know this but he also shits on every full back University ever put on the park.

If he played for the Hawks outfit circa 1980's, he would be CONAN.

He is quite simply the ultimate evolution of the defensive species.

 

[peppy la pew]

Rance has the best hair by far definitely no1, closely followed by pretty boy Cotchin

Tigers are de bomb

 

[Moshie The Mook]

Rance has the best hair by far definitely no1, closely followed by pretty boy Cotchin

Tigers are de bomb

Excuse me forum poster peppy le pew. That s**t eating grin Mundy avatar of yours makes my skin crawl. Considering the events of the last few weeks, would there be any danger of you changing that to a more forum friendly avi?

 

[peppy la pew]

Excuse me forum poster peppy le pew. That s**t eating grin Mundy avatar of yours makes my skin crawl. Considering the events of the last few weeks, would there be any danger of you changing that to a more forum friendly avi?

Because you are so civil Mr Mooshie The Mook I will consider it, It does grow on you after a while.

It could have been worse, imagine if it was Ballantyne

 

[Moshie The Mook]

Because you are so civil Mr Mooshie The Mook I will consider it, It does grow on you after a while.

It could have been worse, imagine if it was Ballantyne

oh dear god no, what manner of evil!