Richmond star Alex Rance wants best-of-three finals series after Tigers’ 2018 preliminary final loss

Richmond defender Alex Rance has admitted last year’s preliminary final loss to Collingwood still haunts him and he wants the AFL to tweak the finals system to ensure the best team wins the premiership.

Richmond’s preliminary final loss still haunts Alex Rance.

Richmond defender Alex Rance has admitted last year’s preliminary final loss to Collingwood still haunts him and has suggested the AFL finals system should be tweaked to ensure the best team of the year wins the ultimate prize.

The Tigers finished two games clear atop of the ladder last year and won their qualifying final against Hawthorn with ease by 31 points.

However, the 2017 premiers went on to produce a horror preliminary final display against the Magpies, losing by 39 points to end their back-to-back dreams.

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Rance said he spoke to Collingwood counterpart Scott Pendlebury this week about the idea of best-of-three finals series to ensure one bad game did not define a season.

In America, NBA finals are played as best-of-seven series.

“It’s an interesting one and it weighs on my mind a little bit at times as well but also recognising that it’s just one game,” Rance said of the preliminary final loss to the Magpies.

Richmond’s preliminary final loss still haunts Alex Rance.

“We had a winning season, all told, so (you try) focusing on the positives out of that season and not really putting too much of a burden just on one game because it can happen to the best of us. I was talking to Pendles about it actually, the thought of shortening the season and making a best-of-three so you can actually really identify who the best teams are. Because on a day if a couple of the best players don’t rock up or the team isn’t quite jelling you can get knocked off.”

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While the Tigers are yet to officially announce their leadership group for 2019, Rance said he did not anticipate any changes from last year’s set up which had Trent Cotchin as captain and Jack Riewoldt and Rance as vice-captains.

Rance said he hoped to feature in both of Richmond’s JLT Community Series matches, the first against Melbourne in Shepparton next Sunday.