Alex Rance | PUNT ROAD END | Richmond Tigers Forum
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Alex Rance

Harry said:
That makes more sense
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i just dont understand how him playing football can limt his influence to instill the faith of god into the public. Playing footy, he literally was on national TV whenever he wanted and could spread a message to millions. Going door to door seems like a very slow process to convert the world.

I cant stand religion at the best of times. I tolerate it, but like all systematic hierarchies they tend to have very self reasons for exploiting peoples very personal values. I just dont see how his career in AFL "limited" his power to spread hsi faith. Me, personally, respected Jehovahs much more than i did previously after watching him speak, lead, play footy etc on the telly for a decade. He literally opened my eyes to his religion and that the people within it do tend to focus purely on helping and supporting others first, with the message of god instantly secondary.

For as good looking & great at footy Rancey was -if he knocked on my door as a stranger wearing his white shirt and pants on his bicycle, i wouldnt have given him 30 seconds before i closed the door and got back to my life.

Note: I also found his message explaining his retirement unusually bland, distant, and not overly heartfelt. It came across as sudden & impulsive with a fairly standard template of "its with great regret that i inform you all that...". With Alex you always felt you got no B/S & when he spoke it was from the heart. For some reason this goodbye sounded really distant.

Did the Jehovah conference & it being Xmas time create a 'moment'? Not sure, but reading the transcript of his message i personally found it a little bit impersonal and standard. Just a bit of a feeling of "really? so thats it?"
 
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RaoulJuke said:
i just dont understand how him playing football can limt his influence to instill the faith of god into the public. Playing footy, he literally was on national TV whenever he wanted and could spread a message to millions. Going door to door seems like a very slow process to convert the world.

I cant stand religion at the best of times. I tolerate it, but like all systematic hierarchies they tend to have very self reasons for exploiting peoples very personal values. I just dont see how his career in AFL "limited" his power to spread hsi faith. Me, personally, respected Jehovahs much more than i did previously after watching him speak, lead, play footy etc on the telly for a decade. He literally opened my eyes to his religion and that the people within it do tend to focus purely on helping and supporting others first, with the message of god instantly secondary.

For as good looking & great at footy Rancey was -if he knocked on my door as a stranger wearing his white shirt and pants on his bicycle, i wouldnt have given him 30 seconds before i closed the door and got back to my life.

Note: I also found his message explaining his retirement not unusually bland, distant and not overly heartfelt. It came across as sudden & impulsive. Did the Jehovah conference & it being Xmas time create a 'moment'? Not sure, but reading the transcript of his message i personally found it a little bit impersonal and standard. Just a bit of a feeling of "really? so thats it?"
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He might be heading overseas to do his work?
 
RaoulJuke said:
i just dont understand how him playing football can limt his influence to instill the faith of god into the public. Playing footy, he literally was on national TV whenever he wanted and could spread a message to millions. Going door to door seems like a very slow process to convert the world.
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Maybe that's why he decided to keep playing in 2015 when he considered retiring. Now at 30 years old his priorities on what he wants to do with his life may have changed. I don't quite understand the timing but Rance has always been a different cat. Can't always understand someone but after giving so much to the Tigers it's worth respecting his decision.
 
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We have to respect his decision, and thank him for his courage, commitment and superlative efforts on and off the field.

However the notion that a universal omnipresent supreme being would rather you stop what you were clearly born to do to spread the word is something I'll never be able to wrap my head around.

As if a universal consciousness connected to all living things, if exists, would think in those terms.
 
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The more I think of it the more annoyed I get with the decision. This is definitely not Rances decision. No doubt at all that it has come from his wife's side of the family and the Jehovas connections. If it was purely Rance he would have pulled the pin at the end of the year as I don't see him as a selfish guy. Has obviously been put in a difficult situation and had no choice but to pull the pin.
Don't underestimate the power that some of these Jehovas witness have. From the stories I've heard they are run more like a cult than a religious group.

Screws us over though as although we didn't miss him on the field but I think he will leave a huge hole off the field. Guys like Jack and Grimesy loved the bloke and his professionalism rubbed off on the younger blokes as well. Will take a few weeks for the boys to get over this and dare I say some may lose some motivation. I think the Xmas break could be perfect timing. Having played for a sports team it can mentally affect your attitude when a very close friend/teammate decides to pull the pin so suddenly.
Hopefully we can pull out a gem to replace him in the short term and give us another flag
 
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Gazmatron said:
Sadly all good things come to an end. Fortunately at Tigerland new opportunities open up and given the coaching staff am confident that they may even "reinvent" a player like CCJ or RCD to fill such a gap. Always great memories of Rancey who even in the bad years gave 110%. At least he went out at the top.
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After this year's effort I am not sure we have a gap to fill. Went the whole season without Rance and our backline performed superbly with Grimes as our general.
 
RaoulJuke said:
First off, gotta thank the man for everything he has done. He is arguably the biggest influence that changed this clubs toxic and disgusting culture to being the most outstanding in the league currently. His approach literally made us the the club of brothers and (Excuse the wanky term) 'Wellness". There is no way this club is the one it is today without the pefect combination of Dimma, Cotchin & Rance. Onfield and offield, no other 3 have had a bigger impact on Richmond since the 70's. Thanks for everything Mr sexiest man in the world - Alex Rance.

Now to the footy me - So disappointing to hear he has retired, especially so close to Xmas. I can understand that his choice is his choice, but for a Jehovah you would think the timing might have been 'not Xmas' time - even Santa can't fix this whole in my heart & was sad to tell my son this morning. The timing is very confusing. To miss an entire season, do all the rehab and get back to being almost full health on the back of another flag run. Why retire now & after the draft etc? The club must be regretting not targeting a key back with all those picks now.

If he were to take on a media gig, that would not sit well for me. Can retire young, healthy and mid-contract to spend more time with god and your family, but still be on the telly talking footy and getting paid. Not sure if the 2 narratives can co-exist .

Now for the other conversation - With that money, do we enter the Grundy sweep-stakes? The ultimate replacement.
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JW don’t have or do Xmas, Easter and such so irrelevant, my money is on the knee not being 100 % given he needed a clean up a few weeks ago
 
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*smile* me.

Dont these blokes know that their family and friends and god will hang around for the next 50 years?
 
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Rfc4Ever said:
There is some silver lining here:

- We could potentially unearth another player with the SSP;

- We can now jiggle some TPP's around and front-end others contracts such as Cotch or Jack to make up Rancy's 2020 salary, freeing up even more cap space for 2021(could have around $1.6 million available for 2021)
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This. Not all bad, we just won a premiership without him. We bring in another Stack or Pickett.

But I am nervous about our key defence stocks. I was nervous before Rance retired due to his knee and chance of re-injury. Garthwaite was disappointing in 2019, Miller seems miles away. Chol not a defender and Balta is still an unknown quantity in terms of suitability. Biggie is the perfect specimen but he is a long shot and presumably years away in any event.

Could we use the SSP on a key defender? Who is around? Hugh Beasley always impresses me in the VFL but has concerns over his size as an AFL key defender (191cm).
 
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Wasn’t he wavering re retirement the year we won the flag a few years back in ‘17? We are lucky he stayed. A huge reason for our 11th Premiership.
I was actually wondering how he’d slot back into a backline that had learned to live without him. At 30 post knee maybe he was too.
We definitely got the best of him & then some.
 
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Tigers of Old said:
Wasn’t he wavering re retirement the year we won the flag a few years back in ‘17? We are lucky he stayed. A huge reason for our 11th Premiership.
I was actually wondering how he’d slot back into a backline that had learned to live without him. At 30 post knee maybe he was too.
We definitely got the best of him & then some.
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I was wondering about the impact of him settling back into the backline too. It was working effectively without him but you don't have a backline without a fit A Rance so we would have worked it out. Nothing wrong with the A Team backline that remains, it's the depth I worry about. The backline was pretty stable throughout 2019, if we lose Astbury or Grimes for an extended period, we come back to the pack in a big way or we are forced to unearth a new A grader.
 
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Harry said:
Devastated. Has a few years left in him and you are a long time retired. Has many years to ponder the meaning of life. Reckon he'll regret jumping off the juggernaut this early.
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The jehovas are a lot poorer too given members have to give over a large % of their earnings.
 
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dimmauchamp said:
The more I think of it the more annoyed I get with the decision. This is definitely not Rances decision. No doubt at all that it has come from his wife's side of the family and the Jehovas connections. If it was purely Rance he would have pulled the pin at the end of the year as I don't see him as a selfish guy. Has obviously been put in a difficult situation and had no choice but to pull the pin.
Don't underestimate the power that some of these Jehovas witness have. From the stories I've heard they are run more like a cult than a religious group.
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My paternal Grandparents were JW's. my grandmother was known as "Fruitcake" when I was growing up, which says a lot. My dad rebelled hard after being foced to knock on doors when he was a kid. No Xmas or birthday presents for him the poor bugger. Then of course, the grandfather has a stroke and the whole "no blood transfusion" thing becomes a talking point. They are weird people. No wonder i am an athiest.
 
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