Alex Rance

PLAYER: 2007-2019 (Swan Districts 2007, Coburg 2008-10, Richmond 2009-2019)  

GAMES: 231 (Swan Districts 1, Coburg 30, Richmond 200)  

GOALS: 10 (Swan Districts 0, Coburg 1, Richmond 9)  

HONOURS: AFL Premiership player 2017: Richmond F&B 2015: Richmond Vice Captain 2017-2019: Richmond Life Member: All Australian 2014,2015,2016,2017,2018: All Australian Captain 2018  

Widely regarded as the premier fullback of his generation, Alex Rance possessed all the attributes to nullify the AFL’s premier key forwards.  

Standing 194cm and weighing 96kgs, Rance’s size and power made him a commanding presence in the Richmond backline for more than a decade.  

His outstanding career coincided with a golden era for the Richmond Football Club.    

Rance was born in Perth with a football pedigree, his father Murray being a champion with Swan Districts, Footscray and the West Coast Eagles.  

Alex played his junior football with the Noranda Junior Football Club before joining Swan Districts. He represented WA at the 2007 Under 18 National Championships and made his league debut with Swans in Round 10 

Later that year he was drafted by Richmond with the club’s second selection and 18th overall at the 2007 AFL National Draft.  

He spent his first year playing with Coburg, the reserves side of Richmond’s VFL affiliate club.  

At the age of 19, he made his AFL debut against Geelong at Kardinya Park in Round 2 of the 2009 season, collecting 18 disposals and 6 marks in a loss to the Cats.  

Rance played 15 matches in that first year, kicking his first career goal in Round 19.  

Over the next nine seasons Rance was a model of consistency and excellence, playing 184 times for the Tigers, averaging more than 20 games a season.   

During that period, he took on and beat champion forwards including Lance “Buddy” Franklin, Jonathon Brown, Adam Goodes, Travis Cloke and Josh Kennedy.   

His reputation continued to grow, and in 2012, Rance recorded a career-best 34 disposals in a round 2 win over Collingwood, which included a career high 17 marks.  

Then, in a Round 6 win against Port Adelaide, the key defender collected his first Brownlow Medal votes, with a best on ground performance.   

In 2015, he confirmed his standing at the Tigers by winning the Jack Dyer Medal, the club’s best and fairest player.  

Rance was a key player in Richmond’s drought breaking premiership in 2017, finishing runner-up in the club champion award behind Brownlow Medallist Dustin Martin.    

But he missed the Tigers 2019 Grand Final victory over Greater Western Sydney after rupturing an anterior cruciate ligament in round one of that year against Carlton.    

On the verge of his eagerly awaited comeback Rance shocked the football world in December 2019 by announcing his retirement at the age of 30.  

As a five-time All Australian, his exceptional career prompted high praise from then Richmond coach Damien Hardwick after a match in 2018, describing the defender as “the fullback of the century”.  

Although Rance spent his AFL career in Victoria, he is proud of his WA heritage. 

His outstanding record and impact at the highest level makes him a worthy inductee into the WA Football Hall of Fame.