Autopsy Royal Commission into Alex Rance

[Walter H White]

He is a very good player undoubtedly but there needs to be an enquiry into his unsavoury tactics. People criticise Selwood and a number of other players for ducking/head high free exploitation and fair enough, but why do the illegal and unpunished acts of key defenders get ignored?

This is not an issue confined to Rance; many of the best defenders get away with it, including Talia, Lonergan and the list goes on. However, Rance is being held up in the media as the second coming and his cheating tactics are conveniently ignored. It is typified when commentators say things like 'beautifully worked under the ball by Rance' when it should clearly be a free for in the back. The exact thing happened today against Danger and throughout the match Rance illegally held arms in the contest and held players, 'worked them under' or used 'tunnelling'. Modern key forwards have a hard enough time as it is without this stuff - it's like the advantages batsmen get over bowlers in cricket today.

Throughout today's game Hawkins, and then Taylor, would do everything right, only for Rance to push, hold and scrag with impunity. Whe Hawkins finally took a mark it was a one handed screamer - because Rance had taken the other one. Rance has been getting away with this for ages and it is high time that someone called him out on it. He can't be compared to the SOS's, Scarlett's and Lakes' of this era if he can't play fair.

 

[Art Vandelay_]

Was BOG today. Don't care if the media gave it to Dusty/Joel. Rance was the best.

All defenders get away with frees. He got away with decisions today as I'm sure we did.

 

[Whiskers]

This will go well

 

[BC9_]

You need a Royal Enquiry into your eyesight, OP.

Rance is a smart defender and was just about BOG.

 

[Dixie Normous]

The fact that he is supposedly a grown masculine man who plays that Pokémon crap is worthy of an AFL-funded inquisition.

 

[Leeda]

who?

 

[matt_bas]

I've been saying this for years

 

[hawkman]

Because no one ever criticised SOS about his tactics.
All defenders have done it since the game was created

 

[M Malice]

Pontius Pilate presiding judge?

 

[JVseven]

I've been saying this for years

Take a bow bro.

 

[Cicero]

This campaign would just take time and valuable resources away from the #freekickhawthorn and #freekickgeelong campaigns.

If Rance was to end up in one of those two sides then you'll get a lot more traction.

 

[Leeda]

Pontius Pilate presiding judge?

Caesar says no... My lord... bows in consternation at the relevance of such a small issue...

 

[Bostonian]

More power too the defenders.

Forwards get away with holding and jumper tugs all the time when defenders are getting pinged for the same thing 99% of the time.

THAT'S what a royal-commission should be held into. Why are forwards a protected species.

 

[sprockets]

If ever a defender was to win the Brownlow, this is the year. Absolute champion of the highest order.

 

[Wolfgang West]

All defenders hang on at certain times but surely you Jest OP ???
Does the name Tom Lonergan ring any bells ???

 

[Coldacre]

If ever a defender was to win the Brownlow, this is the year. Absolute champion of the highest order.

there hasn't been one since 1993. and it'll never happen again.

more's the pity, when there are champions like Rance, Hooker, Lake, Hurley who influence the game 10 times more than *insert whoever 30 possesions* for the week.

 

[Walter H White]

All defenders hang on at certain times but surely you Jest OP ???
Does the name Tom Lonergan ring any bells ???

Read the OP. I acknowledged that Lonergan is also guilty of similar play.

 

[PetterdHoisted]

Was immense yet again, finger in the dike all night, even in the face of an eventual tsunami. Reduced poor Hawkins to poaching loosies in the goal square!

Plenty of 'Rance is the best defender of the last 20 years' etc etc. at the moment, but seriously, when are we going to drop the qualifications, and simply say (at the level he is playing now) he is the best defender to have played the game?

 

[Ron The Bear]

Rance defends good, stop the presses.

PS Gary *in Malarkey

 

[Ancient Tiger]

Getting away with pushing forwards under the ball and sort of holding them without really holding them......

I thought that is exactly what all good defenders do.

 

[Leeda]

look the RC into a player usually means that he is s**t.
so the money is a wasabe... oops a wasate, waste..

Richmond itself needs a commission into it's yellow stripe and how it feels about this.
I am going to cause a ruckus with this but it is about time that the tiges come out and
defend themselves.

 

[funk44]

I'd also like to see a Royal Commission into why so many North Melbourne supporting adults paint their face on game day. It's a real concern

 

[PetterdHoisted]

If ever a defender was to win the Brownlow, this is the year. Absolute champion of the highest order.

except for that little incident where he imprinted Jack Watts face into the MCG turf...

 

[AFDogs]

A defender is defending. What needs to be looked into?

 

[Barry_Badrinath]

Rance is the best player in the league.

there hasn't been one since 1993. and it'll never happen again.

more's the pity, when there are champions like Rance, Hooker, Lake, Hurley who influence the game 10 times more than *insert whoever 30 possesions* for the week.

Only one of them is a current player. Rance is the best defender of his generation, please don't mention him alongside convicted dopers.