Geez, what a meltdown of a thread.
Rance retired, no Richmond supporter will be happy as he is the sort of player you can't really replace, greats can't just be replaced, they just aren't that common.
He gave us many years of enjoyment and we are all thankful for this but ultimately it is his decision to go.
His religion is his business. I have never been a fan of religion but not my life so not my choice.
The rumours of an affair seem to be a complete fabrication so let's just let that crap die a natural death.
I have no social media so don't give a crap what is said on social media. I suspect that the club, Rance and the other players didn't want to create more interest in and speculation (not to mention making crap up) about his retirement, so they have chosen not to comment on this. I think that is a good move given the reports about Rance's marriage being in trouble. The less fuel given to the media the less they can crap on about this - let Rance and his wife sort this out in private, none of our business.
I also reiterate that I reckon Rance was talking about retiring shortly after the season but was convinced to think about it for a while before announcing the retirement, or maybe he was more focussed on his life given the issues with his marriage. In any case, while I agree the timing wasn't great, I don't think there is anything untoward in this, it just happened when it happened.
Now, let's cut the speculation, cut the intrusiveness and let Alex get on with his life and choose if he wants to return to footy. The more forums like this speculate and rant about this issue the more grist there is for the media to blow everything out of proportion and make up more crap.
DS
Have been reading everything here since the announcement but didn't want to join the commentary.
But this probably best sums up my take on things.