Royce Hart backs Richmond’s pursuit of Tom Lynch but warns against loss of ‘heart and soul’
RICHMOND legend Royce Hart has backed the club’s expected recruitment of Gold Coast forward Tom Lynch, but cautioned the Tigers to be wary of losing “heart and soul” players in the process.
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RICHMOND legend Royce Hart has backed the club’s expected recruitment of Gold Coast power forward Tom Lynch, but cautioned the Tigers to be wary of losing “heart and soul” players in the process.
Hart believes the acquisition of one of the best key forwards in the game can keep the Tigers in the premiership window for some time to come.
“They’ve got to get him,” Hart said of free agent Lynch, who is expected to nominate Punt Rd as his preferred destination when the Tigers’ season ends.
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“They need another big forward. If he was playing for them now, they would be odds-on to win the flag this year.”
But Hart stressed the lessons of the controversial 1975 “Pitura deal” that saw Richmond recruit South Melbourne’s John Pitura at the expense of popular clubman Brian “The Whale” Roberts, as well as future Swans Brownlow Medallist Graham Teasdale and Francis Jackson must be considered.
Pitura played only 40 games with the Tigers with limited impact, while the others made a far bigger impression at their new clubs.
The move sparked player disharmony at Richmond, which hurt the club both in the short and long term.
As a free agent, Lynch should be able to arrive at the Tigers without Richmond giving up anything, but it will likely put a salary cap squeeze on the club, potentially forcing out a few players.
“They’ve just got to think about the type of players they lose as a result of this,” Hart said.
“Tommy (Hafey) always said the worst decision he ever made was to get rid of ‘Whale’ Roberts.
“He (Roberts) wasn’t the best player, or anything like that, but he was a heart-and-soul player. He could make light of any tense situation with his antics and that was really important.
“I don’t know the ins and outs of the club at the moment. But I would just say to them they have to be careful about who goes out of the club.”
Originally published as Royce Hart backs Richmond’s pursuit of Tom Lynch but warns against loss of ‘heart and soul’