Stephen Silvagni v Alex Rance

Who was better

  • Stephen Silvagni

  • Alex Rance


Results are only viewable after voting.
If only Rance played against players like Ablett Snr / Dunstall / Lockett / Carey / Lloyd / Richo etc as well who were all in their prime.

This argument is a 2 way street and don't discredit ones ability because of the era they played in and the rules at the time. Silvagni was named the best FB the game has ever seen for a reason with his position at FB in the greatest team of the last 100 years voted by people that have more experience and games played at the top level than this forum will ever have.

Not that i expect any Gen Y types to even know how good he was not to mention he could also go forward and kick 5+ goals on regular occasions.

Silvagni hands down and he also NEVER played as the 3rd man up or the free player type like Rance has done a lot. Rance is no crap player either though but gee he is not even in the same conversation as SOS as a bonafide full back.
I find it interesting that you mention that those who voted in SOS as FB of the 20th Century had more experience and games played at the top level than posters on this forum ever will, but when some of those same people are mentioned as having suggested that Rance is in the mix as one of the games greatest defenders of all time, quite a few posters almost instantly dismiss them as know nothing muppets who have been known to say some stupid things in their time.

People can't have it both ways in that those who rated SOS are to be taken as gospel and then suggest that those same people are to be ignored when they mention Rance in the same breath.

BTW I'm not saying that you've done that, just quoting your post to highlight the inconsistency among posters on here when it comes to accepting statements being made about which players are in the mix as the best of all time.
 
Thank God we have experts like robbo and Jon Anderson to decide the argument.

Unfortunately the team of the century selectors didn't have the wisdom of a panel of Herald Sun "journalists" they had to rely on the likes of Bob Davis, Allen aylett, Percy beames, Gerard Healy, Jack Irving, Bill Jacobs,
Greg Hobbs and David Parkin.
Who needs guys like them, who've watched and reported on games objectively for well over 2 decades, when we have highly rated Big Footy experts like BigFrizz36 & Kreuuuzerurns to rely on.
 

Kreuuuzeurns

Brownlow Medallist
Sep 25, 2013
14,324
27,944
AFL Club
Carlton
Who needs guys like them, who've watched and reported on games objectively for well over 2 decades, when we have highly rated Big Footy experts like BigFrizz36 & Kreuuuzerurns to rely on.

Rance has literally played 5 years of A grade football. There were calls to delist/trade him as late as 2012. The likes of Jenkins and Cox have given him absolute baths in some big games.

GOAT my ass.
 
Rance has literally played 5 years of A grade football. There were calls to delist/trade him as late as 2012. The likes of Jenkins and Cox have given him absolute baths in some big games.

GOAT my ass.
If we take your claim as correct, then he must have been truly sensational given some of the games greats, not just keyboard warriors on Big Footy, have put him in the discussion as one of the best defenders of the modern era.
 

AjsGuns

Club Legend
Nov 16, 2008
2,485
1,522
Melbourne
AFL Club
Western Bulldogs
Other Teams
Chelsea.
SOS / Scarlett / Rance all in the top tier for me. All 3 much the same.

Carlton fans; Rance is a third man up hack who cannot defend 1v1

Richmond fans; SOS is a dinosaur who wouldn't survive in contemporary AFL

Reality is they are both pretty even and in the same tier, same as the Voss, Hird & Buckley argument or the current Dusty, Fyfe & Danger debate. No real issue with people who voted either way. Richmond fans are really insecure though, the amount of Rance & Dusty threads is ridiculous.
 

RichLeMonde

Club Legend
Sep 26, 2019
1,929
3,539
Sydney
AFL Club
Richmond
Other Teams
Celtics
If you put Rance back into the 80s/90s there's a fair argument that he wouldn't do as well as SOS did, one out against the gorillas. SOS was simply physically superior to other full backs. Rance is no slouch in this department either, though. There was a stat in the paper the other day where he comfortably won more one-on-one contests than any other back of his era.

On the other hand, if you put SOS into the 2010s, where he would be required to make split second decisions regarding when to zone off, when to intercept, how much risk to take with ball in hand, how much to run up the ground, there's no way he'd do as well as Rance. Elite full backs in today's game have to be the best decision makers on the ground.

I don't think you can compare the 2 because the position they play has changed so fundamentally. SOS best in his era. Rance very good in his era, though not as good a creative play-maker as Scarlett.
 
Jan 31, 2007
27,310
15,514
In N Out
AFL Club
Carlton
On the other hand, if you put SOS into the 2010s, where he would be required to make split second decisions regarding when to zone off, when to intercept, how much risk to take with ball in hand, how much to run up the ground, there's no way he'd do as well as Rance. Elite full backs in today's game have to be the best decision makers on the ground.

SOS was a footballer first and a defender second. He could follow Hird around in the midfield and destroy him on his way to BOG. He could towel up the best CHF I've ever seen in Carey, tackle FF's who had vastly different array of talents; he could go forward and kick 10 goals. You don't think a player who could manage all that wasn't a superb reader of the play and decision maker? I'm sorry but NFI. How much of SOS play live did you actually see?
 

Tobruk

Draftee
Oct 17, 2018
1
0
AFL Club
Richmond
Lot of discussion going on the mainboard, for some reason, about SOS v Rance as a player. So I thought I'd throw up a poll to see the results.

Stephen Silvagni
vs

Alex Rance
SOS has more awards but Rance had a tough few seasons when Tigers were struggling. More to the point and what is missing are, who were they playing against such as the full forwards, how goals against Rance and SOS . You also cant count "Team of this and that" Why, as its out of their hands if they get pick. Italian team ??? Please !! I think Rance is the last of the old style full back....
 
SOS has more awards but Rance had a tough few seasons when Tigers were struggling. More to the point and what is missing are, who were they playing against such as the full forwards, how goals against Rance and SOS . You also cant count "Team of this and that" Why, as its out of their hands if they get pick. Italian team ??? Please !! I think Rance is the last of the old style full back....
Rance is the last of the old style full backs?

Normally it takes a few posts to put up something worth deleting your account over. Congrats on doing it with post 1.
 

RichLeMonde

Club Legend
Sep 26, 2019
1,929
3,539
Sydney
AFL Club
Richmond
Other Teams
Celtics
SOS was a footballer first and a defender second. He could follow Hird around in the midfield and destroy him on his way to BOG. He could towel up the best CHF I've ever seen in Carey, tackle FF's who had vastly different array of talents; he could go forward and kick 10 goals. You don't think a player who could manage all that wasn't a superb reader of the play and decision maker? I'm sorry but NFI. How much of SOS play live did you actually see?
If you’re assuming that because SOS was a good stopper and could also go forward and kick goals then he must therefore be a truly elite decision maker then you have NFI. If he was creative with ball in hand and an elite decision maker he wouldn’t have been groomed for full back, since that is not how it worked back then.
 
Jan 31, 2007
27,310
15,514
In N Out
AFL Club
Carlton
If you’re assuming that because SOS was a good stopper and could also go forward and kick goals then he must therefore be a truly elite decision maker then you have NFI. If he was creative with ball in hand and an elite decision maker he wouldn’t have been groomed for full back, since that is not how it worked back then.

No need to assume anything from me. I watched Silvagni play from his debut season. I know he was a superb reader of the play and decision maker. I was just trying to point out the obvious to you … you can't play on Hird in the midfield at his peak and be BOG, blanket Wayne Carey from CHB or kick multiple bags of goals, and not be elite those things. Have you played much footy mate?

Errr … SOS wasn't groomed for fullback. In his youth, he played mostly up the ground. At one point he looked like becoming a forward, before settling in at CHB and almost winning a Brownlow from that position. After he did his ACL and suffered recurring ankle injuries and Parko returned, he moved more permanently to FB at the end of 92' and from then, really only left there when the best forward wasn't a FB (i.e. Hird or Carey) or he was needed up forward.

"That's not the way it worked back then". Baahahaha. Mate, it's clear you don't know much about the bloke. I just don't get why people who obviously don't about stuff pretend like they do.
 
Feb 23, 2009
32,136
45,732
Melbourne
AFL Club
Richmond
Other Teams
New York Jets
SOS has more awards but Rance had a tough few seasons when Tigers were struggling. More to the point and what is missing are, who were they playing against such as the full forwards, how goals against Rance and SOS . You also cant count "Team of this and that" Why, as its out of their hands if they get pick. Italian team ??? Please !! I think Rance is the last of the old style full back....
I would say Rance is nothing like the old style full backs. Where they had one job which was defending 1 on 1 against the big full forward, Rance plays as a goal saver against a team. He will leave his man, he will attack the ball, he will stay on the goal line, he will sit and guard space in a zone so the opposition don't want to kick long, he will intercept and then he also has the best 1 on 1 record of recent defenders. He will effectively do what he needs to do to stop the opposition team scoring goals, it's as simple as that. Say what you will about other old school defenders being better 1 on 1, you are probably right. I can assure you they don't limit total opposition team goals more than Rance, and in a team sport these days thats more important. In fairness, the game back then wasn't played like that, but coaching, tactics and players have evolved since then.
 

Magpie03

Team Captain
May 16, 2007
306
98
sydney
AFL Club
Carlton
If you’re assuming that because SOS was a good stopper and could also go forward and kick goals then he must therefore be a truly elite decision maker then you have NFI. If he was creative with ball in hand and an elite decision maker he wouldn’t have been groomed for full back, since that is not how it worked back then.
SOS wasnt groomed for fullback. He was groomed for full forward and that started back in High School under the tutelage of Peter Mckenna. He was sent back to address holes in the Carlton defense that were more pressing given Kernahan was roaming forward.
 
Sep 9, 2015
21,180
21,260
AFL Club
Carlton
Rance isn't in the same conversation as Silvagni as a one on one defender.

Rance played off his opponent more than Silvagni so a different style of fullback because the changing of the way the game played allowed for it.
 

RichLeMonde

Club Legend
Sep 26, 2019
1,929
3,539
Sydney
AFL Club
Richmond
Other Teams
Celtics
SOS wasnt groomed for fullback. He was groomed for full forward and that started back in High School under the tutelage of Peter Mckenna. He was sent back to address holes in the Carlton defense that were more pressing given Kernahan was roaming forward.
Ok I probably shouldn’t have used the word ‘groomed’. I meant Carlton chose to best utilise him at full back, the position in the 80s and 90s where decision making was least important. So I would say with confidence that there is no evidence that Silvagni was an elite decision maker - which is a requirement of an elite full back in the contemporary game. I’m not saying there’s evidence he was a bad decision maker, but you could make the inference that if Carlton thought his decision making was truly elite then thy would have played him further up the ground
 

RichLeMonde

Club Legend
Sep 26, 2019
1,929
3,539
Sydney
AFL Club
Richmond
Other Teams
Celtics
Yeah nah. There's over 300 games of evidence. What planet are you from?
Do you not see the difference in what was required, in terms of decision making, for a half back or mid in the 80s and 90s, compared to a full back of that era? Full backs really didn’t have to make many decisions then. Do you not see that in the modern game full backs have to make decisions with ball in hand that are as difficult as those made by mids or flankers, and also have to make decisions about when to zone off, when to push up the ground, when to stick with their man, that full backs of bygone eras never had to. Just because a great full back from the past was great one on one and great reading the play, that doesn’t prove they’d automatically be great at what current full backs have to do. They’re different skill sets. You’re just blinded by your love of SOS if you think it’s guarantees that he’d be just as good as a modern full back. He might be. But we don’t know
 
Jan 31, 2007
27,310
15,514
In N Out
AFL Club
Carlton
Do you not see the difference in what was required, in terms of decision making, for a half back or mid in the 80s and 90s, compared to a full back of that era? Full backs really didn’t have to make many decisions then.

See the difference? I saw the difference. You don't know what you're talking about. You're talking about some idea you have of fullbacks back in the 80's and 90's. I'm talking about a player I watched live in well over 100 games and many more broadcast who played nothing like describe. Christ in the 80's Silvagni was a spring heel jack who played all over the place. When he played back pocket as young fella, intercept marks were his speciality and he took some truly great marks back then at that.

Knowledge isn't bias dude, but lack of it is ignorance.
 
Feb 23, 2009
32,136
45,732
Melbourne
AFL Club
Richmond
Other Teams
New York Jets
Rance isn't in the same conversation as Silvagni as a one on one defender.

Rance played off his opponent more than Silvagni so a different style of fullback because the changing of the way the game played allowed for it.
Yes and most likely we never see that purely one on one style defender again. The game has evolved and the best full backs of this era (Rance) no longer play a purely 1 on 1 role, they do some much more.

It's not better or worse, it's just the evolution of the game. Rance at training wouldn't spend his entire time playing 1 on 1 against Lynch like the old style full backs probably would have.

It's the same with forwards, sure players don't kick 100 goals a year anymore, but the evolution of the game and coaches wanting greater flexibility and players no longer able to just park themselves in the square and lead into the entire 50.

Many stuck in their ways refuse to acknowledge the evolution and the much wider range of skillsets and requirements that the modern players are asked compared to 20-30 years ago.
 
Jan 31, 2007
27,310
15,514
In N Out
AFL Club
Carlton
Many stuck in their ways refuse to acknowledge the evolution and the much wider range of skillsets and requirements that the modern players are asked compared to 20-30 years ago.

A strawman epilogue to a reasonable post.

What is required of players in today's game is different for sure, that goes both ways. The skillsets don't mean much. As a player, you have a skillset regardless of what the game demands of you. You don't think Paul Roos had the skillset to succeed in the modern game, simply because the era he played in demanded something different? Utter bollocks! We're talking about players here, not concepts and ideas.

Reading some of the descriptions in this thread, I had to double check it wasn't a Mick Martyn vs Alex Rance thread.

Tell you what, you show me some footage of Rance doing something SOS couldn't do and I'll go get you some footage showing SOS doing just that. Then maybe we can try that in reverse and I'll show you a few of SOS' skills that Rance never displayed, and you can try to prove me wrong with the footage.
 
Back