AFL greats Kane Cornes and Matthew Lloyd have responded to a suggestion from Richmond assistant that Alex Rance could come out of retirement to play for a rival club.

Leppitsch recently said on Herald Sun's Sacked podcast that the retired Tigers champion could be tempted to return by moving to another club.

“I don’t know, sometimes the further you move away from it, the harder it is to come back, that’s all I would say,” Leppitsch said said.

“If he does, is it at Richmond or is it somewhere else?

“Is it a change of environment that will help him? I think now that this has happened with the virus, it has probably changed everyone’s perspective as well.”

And Cornes has suggested the best club for this change of scenery for Rance may be Richmond's fierce rivals Collingwood.

“I’d be having a crack (if I was Collingwood), if there was any chance,” Kane Cornes said on Channel Nine's Footy Classified.

“If I was Collingwood, particularly if they lost Darcy Moore, do they know go hard after Alex Rance to fill that role?

“I think he fits into a club that’s in that window, a big Victorian club but I think the chances are small. You have to ask the question.”

Essendon legend Matthew Lloyd added: "He's the body type and type of player I think could come back. He's still so lean, so fit.

"I think you'd be crazy not to call him once or twice a year as a list boss."

Rance retired at the end of last season after missing the whole season with a serious knee injury. Despite remaining on Richmond's playing list, Rance has shot down speculation of a return saying it's like "an alcoholic working at Dan Murphy's".