Watched the replay of the round 17 lose to the Kangas last night and remember some comments from after that game from a regular poster on here about Rance that night. Now everybody has an opinion, but some opinions are simply just wrong.....and dumb!
Up until the start of the last quarter, Tim Watson and Bruce on the commentary were saying that Rance was BOG or very close and in All Australian contention. In the last, Petrie kicked 3 goals on him but 5 for the quarter, which isn't great but cannot be blamed on Rance alone. McGuane didn't help!
The first one was on a lead that knowbody who has every played the game before could have stopped.
The second Rance was out marked. And for those that have played the game before at a decent level would know, it happens sometime. You are playing on some very good players, and Petrie is definitely one of them.
And the third was a marking contest that Rance slipped at the last minute and Petrie took the grab and kicked his third for the quarter.
But to say Rance cannot play on the big forwards or that Alex lowered his colours that night is dumb and just not right.
Rance had an awesome year and is becoming one of the best backman in the comp.
He is a great stopper, can play on smalls and talls and gives us good rebound out of our backhalf but most importantly he is not afraid to take the game on, be it with his kicking (the ball forward) or with his run out of the backline.
Now mistakes will be made and when you take ricks as Alex and others do, not everything will be roses but for me I'm happy with that if players like Rance take the game on.
Even Cotch in the last few minutes of that game kicked the ball straight to a Kangas players 30 metres from goal that cost us the game.
IMO Alex Rance is in the 5 most valuable players in our side.
