Gillon McLachlan saying Tom Lynch could be paid as an ambassador a question of integrity

GILLON McLachlan’s declaration Tom Lynch could be paid to be ambassador at Gold Coast is astonishing and could be interpreted as draft tampering, writes Mark Robinson.

Tom Lynch became Gold Coast captain this season.

GILLON McLachlan’s declaration Tommy Lynch could be paid to be ambassador at Gold Coast is astonishing.

At worst, it’s salary cap tampering

At best, it’s a blatant attempt to pay Lynch so he doesn’t abandon the AFL’s precious expansion club which, after seven years, is a basket case.

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Lynch, 24, is one of the best key forwards in the game, but similar to the Suns has had a wretched year on the park

He has a season to run on his contact, but it wouldn’t surprise if clubs have already began their campaign to recruit him.

Certainly for after the 2018 season. Probably after this season.

Former Gold Coast captain Gary Ablett and successor Tom Lynch.

If a trade request was lodged this October, the trade would be near impossible, for Lynch is the future of this football club.

Chairman Tony Cochrane would blow a lid and say under no circumstances would Lynch be traded. He also said Rodney Eade would coach all of 2017 and you could write it “in my blood”. He also said Jaeger O’Meara would not be traded.

But he’s gettable.

McLachlan’s comments on Fox Footy’s On The Couch program on Monday night was a message to Lynch that staying at the Suns would be financially worthwhile.

How can the CEO say that?

How can clubs allow the AFL, and by extension the AFL Commission, to basically guarantee an ambassadors’ salary before Lynch has even considered a contract extension?

Why is that integrity comes second when it involves the Suns?

It’s a new club, but so are the top-four GWS Giants, and after seven years, surely free kick(backs) can’t be continually dolled out because the Suns have been an AFL-run, mismanaged, poor-performing and culturally-bashed crusade from the start.

Tom Lynch is one of the brightest young stars in the AFL. Picture: Michael Klein

Perhaps in its worst state since that first season, part of the rescue mission is to keep Lynch and pay him monster-sized cash.

It’s known the AFL paid Karmichael Hunt and Israel Folau in the vicinity of $1 million a season in their early years and it was arguably understandable because the AFL used them to make inroads into rugby league territory.

The Lynch situation is far from converting the otherwise converted.

With ambassador’s cash, Lynch conceivably could be the highest paid player in the game if he re-signs with the Suns beyond 2018.

McLachlan clearly wants to see the Suns succeed, but his idea could send rival clubs bellowing in angst to the Commission.

“We would never pay a guy in advance,” McLachlan said.

“If he re-signed with the Suns and he’s the right guy to be an ambassador on the Gold Coast and Queensland, we’d do that. And he’s the type of guy who would. But we would never do a deal in advance.’’

It doesn’t matter if it’s in advance or not, Lynch now knows there’s about a $1m for the taking on top of his close-to $1m salary.

Originally published as Gillon McLachlan saying Tom Lynch could be paid as an ambassador a question of integrity