Tom Lynch leaving Gold Coast isn’t the end of the world
TOM Lynch gave his all for Gold Coast and is entitled to seek success elsewhere just as the Suns are within their rights to play hardball to get the best possible outcome, writes ANDREW HAMILTON.
Gold Coast
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TOM Lynch’s departure will not destroy the Suns.
If the Suns do their jobs right, the rules exist to allow them to adequately replace the former captain either with a compensation draft pick that has the potential to be as good as Lynch, or through a trade for a talented player and a pick.
Geography is a factor but it wasn’t for the Lions during their premierships, the Suns just have to get their house in order.
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They will finish this season in the bottom three so it is not like Lynch slammed the premiership window shut on his way out.
Going into Sunday’s clash with Melbourne at the MCG, their current percentage is 64.7. In Rodney Eade’s last season it was in the low 80s — they are already going backwards.
Lynch gave his all for the club and is entitled to seek premiership success elsewhere just as the Suns are within their rights, and even obligated, to play hardball to get the best possible outcome.
Although the way they gave him the standard Suns send-off has probably killed as an option matching his rival offer and asking him to stay under free agency rules.
Inviting Lachie Weller, a player who broke a contract with Fremantle last year, to give Lynch feedback about his departure deserves a spot on the honour board of dumb decisions.
However, despite the constant noise from afar about the club’s future on the Gold Coast, at ground level it feels like a major shift is occurring.
Within the 20-minute press conference conducted by CEO Mark Evans and Stuart Dew about Lynch’s departure, the coach dropped one little nugget that should give Suns’ fans hope.
Dew and footy manager Jon Haines have become convinced the Suns can no longer operate as a branch office of AFL House and must develop an identity and operating practices that fits the Gold Coast.
“I think we need to invest in the community and spend time out there and also show that we are putting the right investment into this club, so we can represent the community and they can be proud of us,’’ Dew said.
This season local coaches have spent time inside the Suns’ Metricon Stadium base seeing first-hand how an AFL club operates and Dew and Haines have gone out to training sessions and over a parmy and a beer heard from committeemen, coaches and team managers about what they could do to help at the grassroots level.
The Suns have started to work on a strategy to develop more coaches — training manuals, a coaching app and even positions created within the Suns to work with local footy are being mooted.
It makes sense. Better coaches will not only improve the state league clubs, it will also broaden the junior talent supply for Gold Coast’s academy and produce more locally bred Suns players.
Players who won’t want to leave.
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Originally published as Tom Lynch leaving Gold Coast isn’t the end of the world