'I had to put on that mask on': Richmond champion Alex Rance's bizarre admission about AFL career
Former Richmond superstar Alex Rance has admitted part of him disliked winning games of footy as it required upsetting opposition players and potentially ruining their careers.
One of the best players in the AFL across the second half of the 2010s, Rance made five consecutive All-Australian teams as a key defender and was a vital part of Richmond's 2017 premiership.
He shocked the football world when he retired at just 29, right amidst the Tigers' premiership success.
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Alex Rance of the Tigers celebrates after the 2017 AFL grand final. Getty
Speaking to former teammate and captain Trent Cotchin on the Shaped by Trent Cotchin podcast, Rance provided some insight into why he found aspects of the game difficult to embrace.
"I'm very much an extroverted, people-focused person. I love connecting with people and making people laugh and being creative, but when you're playing the game of football you need to be more decisive and task-focused and less worried about how people feel and just get the job done," Rance said.
"When I had to put on that mask on game day, it took energy to do that, but multiplying the task is I had to make somebody's day worse. I had to potentially end someone's career. End someone's dream of being an AFL player.
"If they kept playing on me, their career would end. That was my job.
"I just didn't like that element. That I had to make someone's day worse to make my day better.
"And we as a collective had to make 22 other guys' weekend worse and week worse. That was one of those things that was like, 'oh man, I know I've got to do this, but I love my mates and I love training hard to achieve a goal, but the by-product of this is pretty gross and I don't like it'."
Alex Rance comes from the ground in 2019 after tearing his ACL. Getty
Rance tore his ACL in round one of the 2019 season, a season where the Tigers would go on to win the premiership and one where he would announce his retirement at its conclusion.
The star defender admits initially he was all-in on getting back to play for Richmond in the finals series, but his thought process shifted as the season unfolded.
"I was in disbelief (when I hurt my knee). I was like nah, surely not. I was still, until I was post-surgery, like 'this is going to be fine'," Rance said.
"(Collingwood defender) Tyson Goldsack got back (before finals from a torn ACL), so this is going to be fine, but then you start to ask yourself, 'why am I rushing this, why do I need to come back?'
"That year was the biggest blessing of my life. I got to pause and reflect and take away the pressure of performance and work out what I wanted to be and where I wanted to belong.
"It was the most excruciating pain I have ever felt physically, but then to be able to shift to helping the team in another way was a pretty natural reflex."
David Astbury, Alex Rance and Dylan Grimes of the Tigers celebrate after the 2019 grand final. via Getty Images
Rance said he ultimately made the call not to push to return in the finals series despite knowing he was going to hang up the boots.
He compared the situation to Brisbane star Lachie Neale risking playing through the 2024 grand final three weeks after a significant calf injury.
"It's interesting, I was reflecting on this just recently with Lachie Neale and his calf injury," he said.
"He would arguably be the game changer of that grand final. He came on, had an amazing impact, only you would know the leadership impact he has, but he kicks that goal with the game in the balance.
"It made me think about my decision. If we wind back, I was always going to be play. I was always telling (Richmond's doctors) 'I'm playing in the finals'.
"It was always the goal. 'I'm going to be the fastest guy to come back, you watch me'.
"It got to the point where there was two things happening at once. One, I wanted to recover quickly and get back for the finals series and help, and two, I was going to retire at the end of the year anyway.
"So I was like, if it blows out, it blows out, I don't care."
Ultimately, he made the call not to return, instead following through on his retirement decision and shocking everyone outside the club.
Rance currently works at the Gold Coast Suns in a leadership role alongside former Richmond coach Damien Hardwick.
