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WITH the match in the balance, the ball is bombed long into the forward 50.

From three players deep, Alex Rance wills himself to the front of the pack, safely seeing the ball over the boundary line. 

It's a scenario that has played itself out over and over again over the past few years, so much so the three-time All Australian full-back is on track to become only the sixth AFL player to record 1300 one-percenters. 

A one-percenter is defined as either a knock on, spoil, smother or shepherd. 

With 1289, Rance needs 11 one-percenters against Fremantle at Domain Stadium on Sunday afternoon to reach the 1300 mark.

The stats within the streak

With just two one-percenters, Rance can also pass 200 in a single season for the second time in his career.

His best season came in 2015, where he had 203 one-percenters. Tellingly, it was also the last year Richmond made finals. 

The most one-percenters recorded in a single season was 259, set by Hawthorn's 'third man up' specialist Josh Gibson in 2011.

Gibson, who announced his retirement on Tuesday, also leads the all-time one-percenters record with 1690 over his 12-year career – an average of 140.8 a season. 

Who's next best?

Ironically, it's Rance's recent forward line nemesis, Geelong's Harry Taylor, who leads the chasing pack of one-percenter kings. 

Surprisingly, the much-maligned Zac Dawson also rates highly across his 11-year career.

Harry Taylor and Alex Rance were locked in a fierce battle last Saturday afternoon. Picture: AFL Photos

Text: Sarah Black | Designs: Kahla Emonson | Stats: Cameron Sinclair