The 32-year old was only contracted for the pre-season in a part-time role where he was at the club one day per week, working closely with development coaches Leigh Tudor and Cam Roberts to help develop key-position players, as well as the first to fourth-year players in its academy.

Rance has a strong relationship with Essendon coach Ben Rutten and assistant Blake Caracella, who both played key roles in the Tigers’ premiership success under Damien Hardwick.

“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,” Rance said after joining the Bombers.

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

Rance shocked the AFL world when he retired at the end of the 2019 season a few months after Richmond’s 89-point thrashing of GWS in the grand final in a campaign where the 200-gamer suffered an ACL injury.

A five-time All-Australian defender, Rance is widely regarded as one of the best defenders of the modern era.