Former Richmond star Alex Rance says he was fit enough to play in the 2019 Grand Final but was talked out of it

Former Richmond star Alex Rance has revealed he was fit enough to make what would have been a fairytale playing return in the 2019 Grand Final but opted not to fearing the “guilt” he would have lived with if he broke down.

Rance ruptured his ACL in the opening round of 2019 and never played again, calling time on his stunning career, which netted a premiership and five All-Australian nods, in December the same year, missing out on a second flag.

But Rance has revealed he “pushed hard” to play his final AFL game in the Tigers massive 89-point Grand Final win over GWS before a conversation with coach Damien Hardwick forced him to make an “emotional” decision to opt out.

“I reckon I could have played in that Grand Final in 2019,” Rance told Dylan Buckley on the Dyl and Friends podcast.

“Physically I felt like I was OK to play. I set myself from the start, I want to play in the Grand Final and I am going to push myself to try and get there. I was running at six weeks and pushing it really hard.

“I felt like I was at a point where I was challenging the medical staff to let me play. It got to a point where we had to make a call, am I pushing forward with this or is it cue in the rack and we go for next year ?

“I had to have that discussion with Dimma (Hardwick) to say, I’m either playing my last game in Round 1, or a Grand Final, what’s it going to be ?

Alex Rance wipes away tears after missing Richmond’s 2019 Grand Final win. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/AFL Photos/via Getty Images )Source:Getty Images

“He was like, well, what would you do in this situation where if we played you and you felt fine and you broke down mid game and we lost the Grand Final, would you be able to live with yourself ?

“It was more of a cultural and emotional decision I had to make than a physical one. I don’t want to risk everyone’s happiness, for my greed.

“There was probably a little bit of fear of rupturing it again. But the overriding emotion was I would feel so guilty for the rest of my life if we lost that Grand Final because I couldn’t finish the game.”

Clubs have continued to ask whether Rance, who is only 31, could consider making an AFL return.

But the former star defender said retirement remained “the best decision I have ever made”.

“There’s always still a part of me which loves football and it’s the best job in the world being an AFL player, it’s so fun. But it comes at a cost,” he said.

“Retirement for me was looking at all of the chips on the table and saying, what do I really want, what are my priorities now.

“There are plenty of days where I think I have made the wrong decision. But … I look at the relationship I have with my nephews now and it’s the best decision I have made in my life. “

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