Play Nice Rance Retirement

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Please respect the "Play Nice" status of this thread.

Whether or not you have "a valid point", nastiness and rumour-mongering will result in post deletions, thread bans, and warning points depending on the post and my mood at the time.

Love love love :kiss:
 
Thrawn said:
So what?

It's an appeal to authority fallacy. Do you have your own arguments why he's one of the best ever?

These people have got calls wrong many times, but they're suddenly infallible here? Have you even heard SOS commentate? Called every 2nd player a star or champ. I mean, I loved SOS as a player but as a commentator he was found wanting.
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Interesting way how you discount a few legends opinions but were quite quick to point to a similar group of people as reasons SOS was the best ever because they named him as FB of the century.

Can't be using the opinions of some of the games greats to justify SOS then disregard the opinions of others who suggest Rance was just as good as it just makes you look like a hypocrite
 
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Good player for sure ..certainly one of the best backman of the past 20 years. Probably looking to focus on being one of the 144000 who goes directly to heaven...that will be a lifelong task no doubt. Do they really believe that lololhahha ROFL.
 
Thrawn said:
And SOS dined out on both those players plenty times.

Can you list these supposed games where Richo tears SOS apart? Even in Silvagni's final game ('01 SF) with a bad hip and one testicle, restricted Richo to a couple of goals.
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Yep, gonna go through over 25 years to produce the exact time, round, game and year. It happened. Just like Dunstall used to smash SOS as well. It happens. Even the greats get touched up. Just like Rance got touched up a couple of times. Don’t be sensitive. Add Gary Ablett Snr to the list as well (To have bathed SOS).
 
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_RT_ said:
How about blokes like:
Leigh Matthews
Wayne Carey
Stephen Silvagni

All have mentioned him as one of the best ever, but we still have people trying to claim that he isn't.
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pfffft, who are those nobodies. I mean, we have some serious players and judges of footy here discussing Alex.
 
Thrawn said:
And SOS dined out on both those players plenty times.

Can you list these supposed games where Richo tears SOS apart? Even in Silvagni's final game ('01 SF) with a bad hip and one testicle, restricted Richo to a couple of goals.
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SOS was a great mate, but he did get beaten occasionally. Saw Danny Delre kick about 7 on him in the early 90's. Im sure a star like Richo would have beaten him a few times.
 
Funny thing as well where some commentary is Rance wouldn’t be as good if it wasn’t for the blokes around him. SOS had guys like Sexton and Dean with him. Langford had Ayres and Mew. Scarlett had Taylor and Enright. Micky Martyn had a couple around him. Fletcher as well. All champion teams did have great players around their stars is my point. They allow the greats to be great. Sum of all parts and that.
 
tiger_tough said:
I'd say the split had been on the cards a long time before his retirement. I believe they sold the family house recently too which they only brought a year or so ago I read.

My guess is he believes footy is making it harder for him to obey the strict beliefs and expectations of being a Jehovahs Witness and he has decided the best thing for him to get back on track in that regard is to say goodbye to footy. I read that even playing competitive sport isn't encouraged by JWs, as is socialising with non believers outside of work amongst many other beliefs that would go hand in hand with being an afl player.

It must be a difficult balancing act for him. I don't understand, but I'm not a religious person.
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That’s what seems the most likely. His missus probably pretty devout as well and got sick of waiting for him to commit to the church properly. I expect her standing in the church is vastly more important to her than WAG status.
 
Anyone in the media regardless of their past playing career are paid to sell the game to viewers the best way to do that is to say the marks,goals,players and games are the best ever with a few controversial comments on top for clickbait
If you swallow that you probably jump in your Toyota on weekends drive to bunnings via McDonald’s to grab a Big Mac and coke grab a 6pk of Carlton draught on the way home to drink whilst you upgrade your Telstra package
 
Freshwater said:
Crazy thing is to be a true religious person, follower of Christ, you are in the world. Jesus ate and drank with sinners and publicans and prostitutes. He never condemned them, but never enabled them either. He didn’t abide their lifestyle in any way, but wasn’t too aloof from their needs. Alex is not Christ, nor is he trying to be, but the JW’s seem to be restrictive in their ways. His gift is football, as well as many other fine attributes with his big personality and teaching work. He has met his moral level at the moment. He’ll get over it if he is willing to. But play footy Alex, this is you gift to the world.
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Turned the water into wine didn't he?
 
Thetrader15 said:
This is the only example I can find which was a softer punch
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This one happened right in front of us sitting down near the fence in the MCC members, but I'll try to contextualise it a bit, as although it was a bit of a laugh at the time it doesn't look real good in isolation.

For the previous 30-40 seconds Franklin and Rance were scrapping, trying as much to get the psychological as the physical edge on each other. Rance was bumping Buddy and blocking his run back towards goal, and Buddy returned fire with a couple of sharp jabs to the ribs and one which landed a bit lower, if you know what I mean. This latter one buckled Rance and he looked towards the nearest ump for a free, which was definitely there if the ump had seen it. Probably reportable by 2019 standards.

Unfortunately for Alex it was only the boundary ump in the area, who said audibly "I can't pay them". 30 seconds later when the scrap had finally caught the attention of someone who could pay them, Rance clearly took opportunity to over-accentuate one that shouldn't have been paid. Swings and roundabouts.
 
Thetrader15 said:
Modra kicked 13 too...although not all were against SOS. He was taken off him after he had 5 against him early in the 2nd quarter
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Every back gets beaten when the forward gets the opportunities Modra got that day. I remember Hale kicking 8 against Scarlett and co. Hale was no Modra. Mason Cox will never have a day like he had against Richmond in the Prelim. Showing off in front of his parents.
 

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Thetrader15 said:
Modra kicked 13 too...although not all were against SOS. He was taken off him after he had 5 against him early in the 2nd quarter
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Got a picture with Modra walking into ground before the ‘17 GF. Was stoked. He was a bonafide superstar.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Thrawn said:
... can anyone actually describe what makes Rance GOAT?
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Dunno about GOAT Thrawn, that's probably excessive, but he's in the conversation that's for sure.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but you probably don't get to many Richmond matches, so haven't been afforded the opportunity to see Rance in action live. Don't depend on TV coverage for a true appreciation of his work, as it does it very little justice except for the actual contests for the ball, which only reveals his intercept marks, bodywork and lunging spoils - btw nobody in my lifetime of watching footy has been better at these latter two skills than SOS, but I'll address that further down.

However what Rance brings to the table defensively is unprecedented. He changed how opposition teams went forward. What they might've been able to present offensively against other teams simply did not cut it against a Rance-led backline. I haven't seen a footballer control an entire half of a footy ground since I'd go and watch Wayne Carey (the best player I've ever seen, bar none) completely own the forward half for the better part of a decade. Opposite end of the field, but similar dictatorial control.

I'd repeatedly watch as Richmond's opposition would win a back half turnover, stream out of defence with their runners, get somewhere near the middle of the ground, look up, see Rance patrolling 40-50 metres away, and then be forced to just chip a little 15 metre pass wide. And the offensive moment would be gone. Even if he was 10 metres from his immediate opponent, players up the field knew Rance would shut down the distance while the ball was mid-flight or would just ditch his man and get to the out-number. Rance actually led score involvements for the team in a number of seasons, including a premiership year, such was his return offence. But the telly didn't do any of this justice - you just had to be there. I had the opportunity to speak to an opposition AFL coach a couple of years ago after a sportsman's night about this - he said he actually instructed his players to not kick it near Rance, as they had the stats in the coach's box of Rance's score involvements. He'd never heard need for that instruction before, in either his coaching or playing careers, such was Rance's impact.

In his latter years, Rance's defensive role included usually taking the opposition player who was closest to goal, possibly the least enviable task a backman could be given. Watching him roll from player to player depending upon who appeared most dangerous was a sight to behold. He did this because he could, and no one else could - Rance prevented more opposition goals than any forward has kicked.

Any comparisons with SOS are ridiculous though. He and Alex are very different footballers, and the only thing they really have in common besides multiple AA's is that they stayed defensive side of centre for most of the time. I lived a 10 minute walk from Princes Park for a decade of SOS's career so saw him play live perhaps 50 times. He read the footy off the boot of the opposition further up the ground and was able to use his body to win a contest better than any other defender I've ever seen. He was a genius, and anybody who chooses to denigrate him to somehow puff up their own players just wasn't paying attention. Neither SOS or Rance, nor Scarlett for that matter, are lesser players because of the existence of the other two.

We'll miss ya Rancey.
 
GhostofJimJess said:
This one happened right in front of us sitting down near the fence in the MCC members, but I'll try to contextualise it a bit, as although it was a bit of a laugh at the time it doesn't look real good in isolation.

For the previous 30-40 seconds Franklin and Rance were scrapping, trying as much to get the psychological as the physical edge on each other. Rance was bumping Buddy and blocking his run back towards goal, and Buddy returned fire with a couple of sharp jabs to the ribs and one which landed a bit lower, if you know what I mean. This latter one buckled Rance and he looked towards the nearest ump for a free, which was definitely there if the ump had seen it. Probably reportable by 2019 standards.

Unfortunately for Alex it was only the boundary ump in the area, who said audibly "I can't pay them". 30 seconds later when the scrap had finally caught the attention of someone who could pay them, Rance clearly took opportunity to over-accentuate one that shouldn't have been paid. Swings and roundabouts.
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Flop of the century.. 'Swings and round abouts' doesn't come into it.
 
Thetrader15 said:
He was pouring beers at the Coopers bar in Adelaide airport on the Friday.

Free beer and photo if you had your crows gear on - tick

It all went downhill from there
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He would have some great stories to tell in an era of great footy.
 
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