RICHMOND coach Damien Hardwick joined the Talking Footy panel, with the future of key defender Alex Rance unsurprisingly at the forefront of their conversation.
Rance still hasn’t signed a new contract, with potential suitors circling. However, Hardwick remains confident he will wear the yellow and black for many more years to come.
“We’ll sit down and talk with Alex over the next week or two, but I’ve got no doubt in my mind that Alex will be in a Richmond jumper next year,” Hardwick said.
“We think we’re in a good situation with Alex at the moment. He’s playing well for our jumper, he’s very happy with where he is and I have no doubts he’ll be here next year.”
Hardwick was less confident on the immediate future of Brett Deledio, saying he is no certainty to make his return from a calf injury this week.
“It’s probably touch-and-go at this stage,” Hardwick said. “Initially it didn’t look like much, but it’s taken a bit of time to get better.
“We’re a bit disappointed with that ... But we’ve just got to manage him a bit more carefully going forward.”
Finally, he was quizzed on the sub rule, which appears set to be scrapped at the end of the season.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a major talking point among the coaching fraternity,” Hardwick said.
“Certainly, with 120 rotations, we didn’t feel there was the need for a sub.”
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