ALEX Rance seriously considered walking away from the game before signing a new deal with Richmond. 

But after he came to the conclusion football would not affect the three most important things in his life – his family, his faith as a Jehovah's Witness and his relationship with his wife Georgia – he was content with his decision to re-commit to the Tigers until the end of 2019. 

"I did consider [walking away from the game]," Rance said on Monday.

"Like I said previously, if I thought football was going to impact on my family, my beliefs or my relationship with my wife, then I would very seriously think about leaving the game.

"But I'm very happy with the decision I made and I feel like it is the right decision."

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Rance also admitted he flirted with the idea of moving to Perth to be closer to his spouse's family, which lives in Western Australia. The 25-year-old All Australian defender was on Fremantle's recruiting radar before he committed to the Tigers for a further four years at the weekend.

"I would have to say that it (playing at another club) was (a consideration), but it was never a massive thing," Rance said. "But when it came down to the crunch, I knew that it was Richmond or nothing at all."

Rance has been in stellar form again in 2015, backing up his All Australian year from 2014.

Once he made the decision to remain in football, he knew he wanted to commit to Richmond for the long haul.

"It's the done thing now to do big deals," Rance said.

"I've got currency now, (so) why not?"

However, as much as he loves to play for the Tigers, football is not the be all and end all for the considered Richmond defender.

"If, in my mind, I can keep it (playing football) as a job… and really put it in its place and as soon as I leave the club I can put it aside, enjoy my time with my wife and not stress about the anxieties of whether I played well… because it does become all encompassing at times," Rance said. 

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"It's really about being able to switch off and make it a 9am to 5pm (job), if you can, and then having your family time."

Meanwhile, Rance said he regrets his part in hurling the ball back at an umpire in his side's game against West Coast on Friday night. Rance gave away a 50m penalty for throwing the ball back too aggressively at the umpire.

"In the heat of the moment I felt that it wasn't that big of a deal, but I need to look at the ramifications down the line. If I'm treating an umpire with disrespect then what's it going to look like for lower leagues?" Rance said.

"It's not what you want to see. It's disrespectful. I shouldn't have done it."