Port Adelaide fan who threw drink on Tom Lynch banned for two years
The fan who threw a drink at Tigers villain Tom Lynch has been handed a huge ban by Port Adelaide and won’t be able to watch the Power live again for years.
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The fan who threw a drink at Tom Lynch after the preliminary final has had their Port Adelaide membership revoked for two-years.
And further sanctions could come for the patron for the attempted post-match soaking of the Richmond star.
Lynch was public enemy No.1 at Adelaide Oval on Friday, with the Tiger loudly booed anytime he went near the ball.
However, fans took their anger too far post-match, with the key forward having a drink thrown on him during a live interview on Channel 7.
“Sorry Daisy (Pearce), I’m copping it here a little bit. Can you please repeat that? I just had a Bundy and Coke on me, but anyway,” he said.
The fan was immediately evicted by security and on Monday Port Adelaide said it had revoked their membership for two years.
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“Port Adelaide will not tolerate actions that are in breach of the club’s spectator code of behaviour, and endorses the sanctions further imposed by the AFL and Adelaide Oval,” a Port spokesman said.
A spokeswoman for Adelaide Oval’s Stadium Management Authority said it had issued a banning notice to the patron.
“The patron has been banned from attending Adelaide Oval for the next two years,” she said.
“This venue ban is in addition to the three-month barring order issued by SAPOL.”
The AFL has been contacted for comment.
Moments after the attempted soaking Lynch made his way over to a young Port Adelaide fan in the crowd who was clearly upset at the heartbreaking loss for the Power.
Lynch consoled the youngster and gave him a thumbs up in an attempt to make him feel better.
Richmond coach Damien Hardwick was full of praise for his star after the match.
“He’s a big boy, he can handle it, he’s a wonderful player, one of the better players in the competition so it’s water off a duck’s back from Tom’s point of view, he just plays the game and he plays it hard,” Hardwick said.
“I just love the way he goes about it, I’m incredibly proud of … he’s had a tough year, some of those incidents have been harshly judged and he’s probably been maligned a little bit for that, but he understands it, he accepts it and he gets on with it, that’s what we love about him.”
TIGERS ONE WIN FROM DYNASTY AFTER PRELIM THRILLER
Richmond is now one step away from a third premiership and an official dynasty under coach Damien Hardwick after disposing of the latest challenger to its throne in Port Adelaide in Friday night’s preliminary final.
In a heavyweight fight at Adelaide Oval, the champ threw the first punch of the game with the first two goals and led by two points at the final turn before Kane Lambert landed the knockout blow with two goals in the last quarter.
When the Power made two last desperate kicks inside 50 in the dying moments it was ruckman Toby Nankervis and full-forward Tom Lynch who took the saving marks and secured their spot in next week’s Grand Final at the Gabba with a six-point win.
ROBBO: TIGERS ONE WIN FROM IMMORTALITY
The Tigers controlled the final quarter with their work around stoppages – led by Trent Cotchin, who celebrated his 250th game in style, while Dion Prestia and Dustin Martin were always dangerous.
It was a cruel result for the Power who have now lost two preliminary finals under coach Ken Hinkley by a combined nine points after a three-point loss to Hawthorn in 2014.
HINKLEY PROUD OF POWER FIGHT
Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley says the best lessons often hurt the most and his team will learn from its preliminary final loss to Richmond after giving it “one hell of a shot”.
“We learnt a lot this year, we said we were improving and we were coming and we didn’t get quite to where we wanted, but we gave it one hell of a shot and they should be proud of that and learn from that,” he said.
“You get these days where you get the harshest lessons but we know every prelim final you’re going to have to stand up the whole way through and we didn’t quite get there this week.
“You know to get there (win a premiership) you’ve got to go past Richmond at some point, someone is going past Richmond at some point and we’re going to be trying bloody hard to be that team.
“Tonight we weren’t quite ready to (do that), but if you look at the game there will only be little bits you know they had the upper hand and they got hold of it and that’s why they’re in their next grand final.”
The Power has now lost two preliminary finals by a combined nine points in Hinkley’s eight years.
“I know it (2014) hurt, this one hurt too, but every prelim is this type of game and the conditions made it even more combative,” he said.
“But you’ve got to risk the hurt and we did, we risked the hurt.”
Hinkley confirmed Brad Ebert would retire after finishing the game on the bench after another concussion.
“It’s pretty clear if you watched him coming off the ground tonight, Brad’s done as an AFL player, he’s got to put himself, his health and family first,” he said.
“He gives everything to our footy club, he’ll walk away knowing he did everything he possibly could, I’ve had a lot of conversations with Brad this year and the courage of that man is amazing and he kept at it right to the end.
“Brad will certainly retire and, if anything, tonight (Friday0 would have absolutely confirmed it for Brad.
“I’ve been here eight years and that (going back with the flight) is what Brad’s always done, you can’t question the way he trains, prepares, plays, he gave everything he had, he’s a great teammate, a great dad, great husband, he won’t be lost from the club altogether he will always be part of the Port Adelaide footy club.”
The coach confirmed Ryan Burton re-injured his quad and was sent forward to try to play out the game, and praised Port’s kids including second-year stars Xavier Duursma and Connor Rozee.
“They were pretty good weren’t they?” he said.
“I’m optimistic about our football club, our football club is going to be very good and it hurts a bit tonight (Friday) but there is some optimism and it’s not just those three who everyone talks about - the young players across our team.
“I said last year ‘if you can’t see the positivity in Port, you’re not looking’, you’ve got to be able to see it and we’ve just got to work hard to get back there again.”
EBERT CALLS TIME AFTER HORROR KNOCK
Port Adelaide veteran Brad Ebert has officially retired.
The 30-year-old’s future has been in doubt given he is out of contract and has battled concussion issues over the past two seasons.
On Friday night, he was concussed again, running back with the flight of the ball to make a last-ditch spoil late in the last quarter.
He was groggy when trainers helped carry him off the field and did not return.
It was reflective of his 259-game career: courageous, tough and desperate to do his bit for the team.
Brad Ebert has been helped off the field after putting his body on the line in this spoil ðŸ‘#AFLFinals pic.twitter.com/zlvg6E5KCk
— AFL (@AFL) October 16, 2020
A famous Port Adelaide name who had a big impact at his family club after returning to Alberton, where he played SANFL for the Magpies, at the end of 2011 from West Coast.
Power captain Tom Jonas said it was sad to lose Ebert, a valuable player, close mate and business partner in Hey Diddle Wines, but he had to do what was right for himself.
“I couldn’t speak more highly of the man,” Jonas told The Advertiser.
“He came to the club when it was in dire straits and the sacrifices he made to do that and be part of the Ebert legacy and chase the ultimate dream of winning a flag at Port Adelaide.
“He’s the consummate professional, one of the hardest workers you’ll see, caring, selfless, courageous.”
TALLS HAVE LITTLE IMPACT
The key forwards posed the biggest threat to breaking the game open but Jack Riewoldt, Tom Lynch and Charlie Dixon kicked just three goals between them.
In a surprise move, Tom Clurey got first crack at Lynch and he was very good, making the right decisions when to stay and defend and when to leave and attack and he had plenty of help, particularly from lion-hearted captain Tom Jonas who constantly flew to give aerial support and tackle at ground level.
At the other end, Noah Balta neutralised any threat Charlie Dixon posed with a solid defensive game although Lynch and Dixon did take strong marks and both kicked a goal in the second half.
While Lambert kicked two goals in the final term, Dustin Martin did the damage in the first half, kicking a trademark crumbing goal then pushing aside Darcy Byrne-Jones in a marking contest.
NEXT GEN IMPRESS FOR POWER
Port Adelaide’s kids all stood up in the heat of battle.
Connor Rozee looked like he was made for preliminary finals. After such an outstanding first season in 2019, he never quite captured his best form for long this season but none of that mattered on Friday night.
The dashing forward was clean when others fumbled, kicked two goals and brought teammates into the game with a superb performance.
Xavier Duursma was just as good. Left battered and bruised after a concussion against Geelong, he got crunched by Riewoldt in the first quarter and stayed down for a moment, went to the bench then came back and had a game-high seven disposals in the first quarter including a goal.
Zak Butters was lively all night and didn’t hit the scoreboard but at least made Richmond’s small forwards accountable.
SCOREBOARD
RICHMOND 2.1 3.3 4.6 6.10 (46)
PORT ADELAIDE 2.3 3.3 4.4 6.4 (40)
BEST – Richmond: Martin, Bolton, Balta, Cotchin, Houli, Prestia. Port Adelaide: Jonas, Rozee, Duursma, Wines, Boak, Ebert.
GOALS – Richmond: Martin, Lambert 2, Riewoldt, Lynch. Port Adelaide: Rozee 2, Duursma, Lycett, Dixon, Ladhams.
REPORTS – Port Adelaide: Ladhams.
VOTES – 3: Dustin Martin (Richmond); 2: Shai Bolton (Richmond) 1: Tom Jonas (Port Adelaide).
Originally published as Port Adelaide fan who threw drink on Tom Lynch banned for two years