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Richmond Tigers great Alex Rance joins Essendon Bombers as development coach

Samantha RogersThe West Australian
Richmond great Alex Rance had traded his yellow sash for red as he joins Essendon’s coaching ranks.
Camera IconRichmond great Alex Rance had traded his yellow sash for red as he joins Essendon’s coaching ranks. Credit: Quinn Rooney/via AFL Photos

Richmond great Alex Rance had traded his yellow and black sash for red as he joins Essendon’s coaching ranks.

The Bombers today announced the Tigers premiership star will join the Bombers as a part-time development coach.

The 32-year-old previously donned the red and black for the club’s VFL side in a one-off appearance last year.

Rance said he couldn’t wait to join the Bombers for the 2022 season.

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“I’m really excited to join the Bombers as a development coach for next season,” Rance said.

“I couldn’t think of a better place to start my journey as a coach in the AFL. Having familiar faces in ‘Truck’ (Ben Rutten) and ‘Cara’ (Blake Caracella) around to work with was really appealing to me.

“I really enjoyed my experience with the VFL Bombers up in Queensland earlier this year, and I loved helping those young players grow and learn, which will be a big part of my role here.

“I can’t wait to get started and help the club towards success.”

Alex Rance of the Bombers warms up before the VFL Round 15 match between the Southport Sharks and the Essendon Bombers.
Camera IconAlex Rance of the Bombers warms up before the VFL Round 15 match between the Southport Sharks and the Essendon Bombers. Credit: Russell Freeman/AFL Photos

Rance played 200 games for Richmond in an illustrious career that saw him named an All-Australian five times, win a Best and Fairest and claim a premiership medal in 2017.

After retiring from the competition in 2019 after injury forced him to sit out the Tigers’ 2019 flag, the former fullback will now share his invaluable knowledge to help develop the club’s first-to-fourth-year and key position players.

Essendon’s General Manager of Football Josh Mahoney said the club was “thrilled” to have Rance join the coaching group.

“We have a young, developing group. Alex will bring leadership and a high-performance mindset to the entire squad, as well as focusing on developing the fundamentals of our key-position players,” he said.

“We look forward to Alex’s contribution to the club in helping develop our players who are looking for continual improvement.”

Richmond took to social media to wish Rance “good luck” in his new role.

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