ALEX RANCE is part of the Richmond family and will continue to play his best football if he remains a Tiger beyond 2015, says coach Damien Hardwick.
The 25-year-old West Australian is set to become a free agent at the end of this season, one year after earning his first All Australian guernsey.
With speculation continuing to swirl around the key defender's future, Hardwick believes Rance's strong ties to the Tigers will play a key part in his decision in the coming season.
"Alex is an important player to us and he's been at the club now for eight years so it's part of his DNA," Hardwick told AFL.com.au.
"With all free agency, it's part and parcel of what we do now and Alex knows he's a required player for us and that he's part of our family.
"He'll make the required decision when it's there to be [made], but we've got no doubt this is where he'll play his best footy, at the Richmond football club, and Alex realises that also."
Rance and midfielder Dustin Martin are both key Tigers set to come out of contract at the end of the season, although the latter falls two years short of free agent status.
Richmond forward Jack Riewoldt said he believes talk about the pair won't distract the Tigers as they enter the 2015 season and look to atone for another lost finals campaign.
"It was a fantastic year for Alex, but [they're] contract talks and I'm not his manager so I'm not going to be talking about his finances," Riewoldt said on Thursday.
"He's a required player and a great character around our football club. He's someone that you can really build a football club and a backline around.
"Whatever will be (will be) with Rancey, but I'm really looking forward to playing with him in 2015.
"Hopefully he (Martin) signs soon, but I'm looking forward to playing with him in 2015 (too)."
Martin has already been slated for an increased midfield role this season after proving a force in one-on-one contests in attack in 2014.
With the NAB Challenge just around the corner, Riewoldt gave the Tigers' pre-season campaign a tick of approval, with the disappointment of last year's brutal elimination final defeat at the hands of Port Adelaide a distant memory.
"It's not motivation for us (now)," he said.
"It is what it is - it's the past and we don't dwell in the past. For us it's about focusing on the pre-season and setting ourselves up strongly for 2015."
Riewoldt was speaking at Elsternwick McDonald's. The fast food chain was announced as a new four-year partner of the AFL, with naming rights to the AFL 9s competition.
