Defenders Alex Rance, Troy Chaplin the key to Richmond's finals charge Warwick Green
From: Herald Sun
August 08, 2013 6:02PMTHE last time Richmond had such a stingy defence, the mainstays of its backline were a couple of club greats called Kevin Sheedy and Barry Richardson.
The year was 1969 and the Tigers conceded just 1653 points from their 20 home-and-away games to finish fourth.
They would go on to defeat Carlton in that year's Grand Final.
Three decades on Richmond is back to its miserly best, conceding just 1467 points from 19 games this season, ranking it third in the AFL.
A significant reason for this phenomenon is the form of the Tigers' two key defenders Alex Rance and Troy Chaplin.
In their most recent outing they held star Hawthorn pair Lance Franklin and Jarryd Roughead to a combined 26 touches, five marks and one goal.
After the game Richmond coach Damien Hardwick singled out Rance for praise.
"I thought his first four to five rounds were OK, but after that he's been in outstanding form, and he takes generally the best forward every week," Hardwick said.
Given that Rance goes to the likes of Franklin, Josh Kennedy and Travis Cloke, he has performed superbly to concede an average of just under two goals a game this season.
Furthermore, he averages seven intercepts a match.
"I don't think, at the moment, there's a player quite as good at getting himself back into the contest and winning the ball," Hardwick said. "His possession gains are fantastic."
Earlier this season the coach said he loved the way Rance played because "every contest he goes to is life or death".
That full-bore approach can lead to some heart-in-mouth plays. Or, as Hardwick put it on the weekend, "he still has some Alex Rance moments".
Rance said after the Hawthorn match that he played on the edge, knowing one mental lapse against a class forward could result in a goal.
He was in no doubt, though, that one crucial factor in his solid form this season was the arrival of Troy Chaplin from Port Adelaide over summer.
Often used by the Power as a third tall defender, Chaplin has primarily stood the resting ruckman this season.
Consider that in 360 minutes of football, as the direct opponent of Roughead, Tom Hawkins, Dean Cox, Tom Bellchambers, Paddy Ryder, Justin Westhoff and Quinten Lynch, the Tigers defender has given up just two goals.
Both of those were kicked by Hawkins in Geelong's 44-point win over Richmond in Round 6.
Equally importantly, though, Chaplin has added authority to the Tigers backline.
"I can't say enough good things about Chappy, he's been a fantastic leader," Rance said after the Hawthorn match.
"He just came up to me before the game and said, 'Look mate, you just do your job (on Franklin), we'll worry about organising everything else.
"And that gave me a little boost, to know that another bloke's got my back ...on ground his direction is really fantastic."
Rance was a big fan of Chaplin before he joined the Tigers during last year's free agency period, as revealed on his Twitter account.
As Hardwick put it after the Round 17 win over Fremantle: "There's no doubt the addition of Troy Chaplin down there makes (Rance) a better player, and that's the reason we brought 'Chappy' in."
Footballers such as Brendon Goddard, Brian Lake and Chris Dawes may well have been higher-profile trades over the off-season, but for what he has brought to the Tigers' defence this season, Chaplin may yet prove to be the recruit of the year.
http://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/defenders-alex-rance-troy-chaplin-the-key-to-richmonds-finals-charge/story-fndv8t7m-1226693743370
