In a special series leading up to the 2017 AFL national draft, richmondfc.com.au examines the Tigers’ construction of their drought-breaking premiership team this year via the competition’s main talent acquisition pathway throughout the past decade. Today, we focus on Alex Rance’s recruitment.
With the priority pick it had secured at the end of the first round of the 2007 AFL national draft, after finishing last that year, Richmond’s attention turned to athletic, young Western Australian tall defender Alex Rance.
The son of former Footscray and West Coast key defender Murray Rance was coming off a fine 2007 season, where he had gained selection in the under-18 All-Australian team after excelling for WA in the national championships, and also made his senior debut for WAFL club Swan Districts.
This is what the WA Football Commission’s High Performance Manager at the time, Jon Haines, had to say about Rance as an AFL prospect . . .
“Alex has a mature body for his age and played a lot of footy at the (under-18) championships as a running half-back with really strong defensive skills. He loves to run hard and aggressively from the half-back line; he showed that all year and not just at the carnival. For Swan Districts, he continually set up their play from the half-back line with his hard running, but he can certainly hold down a key position as well. He’s very good overhead and very good in one-on-one situations, he holds his ground very well and rarely gets beaten in marking duels. Alex is a really committed, disciplined trainer; he soaks up the fitness and training side of things, which is another good sign from a coachability point of view.”
Long-time AFL National Talent Manager Kevin Sheehan was equally complimentary of Rance . . .
“He’s a dasher and he’s been a revelation this year; he’s much improved. He’s one of those defenders who is prepared to take them on and provide that dash out of defence and break the lines. He’s one who really enhanced his prospects with his three performances as a tall defender at the championships,” Sheehan said.
At one stage Rance was being mooted as a potential top-10 selection in the ’07 national draft, so the Tigers were over the moon that he slipped through to them at pick 18 overall.
Rance, for his part, was just as enthusiastic about his move to Punt Road.
“When Richmond selected me, I was extremely happy,” Rance said.
“It's a club that's really going places and, with the potential they had already picked up in the draft, I could really see myself playing a role, and that I was needed at the Club.
“So I'm really looking forward to starting to show my worth over the next couple of years.”
Alex Rance AFL fact file
Debut: Round 2, 2009 v Geelong, Kardinia Park
Games: 175
Goals: 9
Honours: Jack Dyer Medal winner in 2015, four-time All-Australian representative (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017), member of Richmond’s 2017 premiership team
