THERE'S hope yet that Richmond defender Alex Rance may make an astonishing return this season, with teammate Dylan Grimes saying he is "shocked" at Rance's speedy recovery from a knee reconstruction.

The five-time All Australian ruptured the ACL in his right knee in round one against Carlton after landing awkwardly in a marking contest. 

FULL INJURY LIST Who's ruled out and who's a test?

Speaking to AFL.com.au, Grimes said there was a chance Rance could be taking up his customary spot in defence by the end of the season.

"In terms of his actual physical process, he's coming on in leaps and bounds," Grimes said. 

"He hasn't put a line through himself at all to play [again] this year. He's banging on the door for sure. His first three weeks, he's shown more improvement than we've seen in some ACLs in three months."

Grimes was full of praise for Rance's attitude, both in the immediate aftermath of the injury and in his rehabilitation.

"I'm so shocked at how well and … the professionalism he has shown in the early part of his injury and the recovery process," Grimes said.

"Even on the night of the injury, he was down on the bench, encouraging other players. Post-game, he was in [the rooms] making sure we were doing our recovery and getting the most out of ourselves. 

"To be honest, the next day when we found out it was an ACL injury, he called me up to make sure I was okay. That's the sort of leader we're talking about."

Alex Rance and Dylan Grimes sing the song after the Tigers' win over the Blues. Picture: AFL Photos