AFL Daily: Richmond forward Tom Lynch is high on confidence but won't be complacent in Grand Final
Coming off a five-goal haul in the preliminary final, Tom Lynch won't be getting ahead of himself this Saturday despite his strong record against GWS this season. RECAP THE DAY'S FOOTY NEWS
Jon Ralph
2 min read
September 22, 2019 - 10:48PM
Tom Lynch has kicked 61 goals for the season.
Tom Lynch says he won’t be lulled into a false sense of confidence on Saturday despite his own record on Phil Davis and the GWS captain’s trio of injuries.
The brilliant Tigers recruit has stunned Richmond insiders to play the 12th most minutes of anyone in the competition and kick 61.31 including five preliminary final goals.
He kicked 4.1 against Phil Davis and Sam Taylor in Round 3 and three goals from 18 possessions in Round 17.
Davis is adamant he will play after dislocating a finger as well as back spasms that flared an existing calf injury.
But after having the better of Lynch last year in the weeks before he had knee surgery (0.0 and five kicks), Davis has his work cut out.
Remarkable chilled after his superb preliminary final display, first-year Tiger Lynch said he was preparing to go head-to-head with Davis again.
“They have got some great players down there and I think Nick Haynes has been in super form and Phil Davis, I am expecting him to play,” he said.
“About every time I have met the Giants I have matched up on him and that’s the way I would be looking at it at this stage.
“He obviously was a bit sore but I would be a bit foolish to suspect he will be less than 100 per cent on the weekend.”
Tom Lynch has kicked 61 goals for the season.
“He is comfortable with the focus being on him leading into the Grand Final but Richmond’s strength is in its multiple forward targets.
In Round 23 Jack Riewoldt cashed in against the Lions with four early goals, before Dustin Martin kicked six in the qualifying final as Lynch dragged Harris Andrews away from the action.
“I feel pretty good at the moment,” Lynch said.
“It was good to play in a preliminary final. 94,000 at the MCG - it doesn’t get much better than that.
“As a forward group we know some players will bob up with goals and others will have quieter games but we value role players.“
Dusty got on the end the week before and Jack’s goal output was down but we thought he had a massive impact on the game.”
On the day Gold Coast had its priority pick decided upon by the AFL Commission, ex-Suns captain Lynch said he was confident his former team was as well-placed as at any time in its history.But with as photos of ex-Suns Lynch, Josh Caddy and Dion Prestia in their formative years do the rounds, it is another reminder of what the club has lost.
“I suppose we have taken different roads to get here and it was pretty fun on the weekend,” he said.
“Dion kicked it to me a few times and I gave him one back and that was pretty special to be playing alongside them in a prelim. Especially Dion, I played six years with him at the Gold Coast and it’s good to be back with him this year.”
RECAP ALL THE DAY'S NEWS IN THE BLOG BELOW
Updates
One TAB punter stands to be $60,000 richer if Fremantle captain Nat Fyfe salutes in tonight's Brownlow Medal count.
Fyfe is listed on the fourth line of betting at $7, behind favourite Patrick Dangerfield ($2.50), Marcus Bontempelli ($6) and Lachie Neale ($6).
One punter plonked $10,000 on Fyfe at those odds today.
Fyfe has been the third-most popular player on Brownlow Day in the market, with Dangerfield attracting 21 per cent of votes.
TAB favourites have won the last four Brownlow Medals starting with Nat Fyfe in 2015 ($2) followed by Dangerfield ($1.16 in 2016), Dustin Martin ($1.05 in 2017) and Tom Mitchell ($1.45 in 2018).
Another punte has bet $2,000 at $15 on Collingwood’s Brodie Grundy for a potential $30,000 payday.
Premiership Tiger Shaun Grigg has backed his midseason replacement Marlion Pickett to deliver on the big stage, saying the electric utility is “built for finals”.
Pickett can become the first player in 67 years to make his AFL debut in a Grand Final after a sizzling best-on-ground performance in the VFL premiership decider on Sunday.
The Tigers are weighing up the huge call whether to pick him, Jack Ross or Sydney Stack to replace injured hard nut Jack Graham(dislocated shoulder) against Greater Western Sydney on Saturday at the MCG.
Grigg made the selfless decision to retire midseason, opening up a spot for the Tigers to draft the 27-year-old WAFL stardespite an 11th-hour finger injury.
Grigg, 31, said he was thrilled the game breaker was in the selection frame.
“It does a bring smile to my face because I couldn’t help the team on the field this year, so I just wanted to do anything I could to help the club get better,” Grigg said.
“And if he does get in, you know he is a big-game player.
“We have seen what he did on the weekend and he’s built for finals.
“He is pretty contested, he is skillful and if he does play, I think he will have a couple of pretty special moments.
“For him to be even talked about as a selection option shows it is the right call (to retire).”
Pickett gathered 20 disposals, nine tackles and slotted one goal in the VFL premiership win over Williamstown on Sunday to bolster his selection chances.
It comes only three weeks after the South Fremantle product reeled in a breathtaking high mark running back with the flight in the VFL elimination final win over Essendon.
While Graham will try to prove his fitness this week in a desperate bid to take on the Giants, Pickett’s form on Sunday may have catapulted him ahead in the selection stakes.
Grigg said it was clear Richmond’s recruiters had a mature-age option in mind when the veteran first approached the club about stepping aside due to injuries.
“They didn’t tell me who it was, but they said the player they were keen on could potentially help this year,” Grigg said.
“So I knew he was sort of ready-made or thereabouts, and not a (young) kid they were looking to develop, so in those circumstances it was a pretty easy decision.”
Through football, the father-of-four has helped turn his life around, after spending more than two years in jail in his late teens for what Pickett has since labelled “a silly crime”.
Pickett flourished in the WAFL winning two best and fairests for the Bulldogs, and was taken by Richmond with pick No. 13 in the AFL’s new May draft.
At the time, national recruiting manager Matt Clarke said the club was “really excited” about the midfielder’s short and medium-term prospects.
“He can be a really strong presence in there (midfield) as a clearance player, he's really good aerially, and can really kick the ball a long way,” Clarke said.
Grigg, who played a key back-up ruck role in Richmond’s 2017 premiership triumph, said Pickett had committed himself fully since landing at Punt Rd.
“I’ve spent a lot of time at the footy club this year, helping do some development work with the guys, and he (Pickett) is a great bloke first and foremost,” he said.
“He really wants to do well for his family. He wants to give his family a head start and wants to make them proud and he’s certainly doing that now.”
PICKETT MADE FOR THE BIG STAGE: GRIGG
By Jay Clark
Premiership Tiger Shaun Grigg has backed his midseason replacement Marlion Pickett to deliver on the big stage, saying the electric utility is “built for finals”.
Pickett can become the first player in 67 years to make his AFL debut in a Grand Final after a sizzling best-on-ground performance in the VFL premiership decider on Sunday.
The Tigers are weighing up the huge call whether to pick him, Jack Ross or Sydney Stack to replace injured hard nut Jack Graham(dislocated shoulder) against Greater Western Sydney on Saturday at the MCG.
Grigg made the selfless decision to retire midseason, opening up a spot for the Tigers to draft the 27-year-old WAFL stardespite an 11th-hour finger injury.
Grigg, 31, said he was thrilled the game breaker was in the selection frame.
“It does a bring smile to my face because I couldn’t help the team on the field this year, so I just wanted to do anything I could to help the club get better,” Grigg said.
“And if he does get in, you know he is a big-game player.
“We have seen what he did on the weekend and he’s built for finals.
“He is pretty contested, he is skillful and if he does play, I think he will have a couple of pretty special moments.
“For him to be even talked about as a selection option shows it is the right call (to retire).”
Pickett gathered 20 disposals, nine tackles and slotted one goal in the VFL premiership win over Williamstown on Sunday to bolster his selection chances.
It comes only three weeks after the South Fremantle product reeled in a breathtaking high mark running back with the flight in the VFL elimination final win over Essendon.
While Graham will try to prove his fitness this week in a desperate bid to take on the Giants, Pickett’s form on Sunday may have catapulted him ahead in the selection stakes.
Grigg said it was clear Richmond’s recruiters had a mature-age option in mind when the veteran first approached the club about stepping aside due to injuries.
“They didn’t tell me who it was, but they said the player they were keen on could potentially help this year,” Grigg said.
“So I knew he was sort of ready-made or thereabouts, and not a (young) kid they were looking to develop, so in those circumstances it was a pretty easy decision.”
Through football, the father-of-four has helped turn his life around, after spending more than two years in jail in his late teens for what Pickett has since labelled “a silly crime”.
Pickett flourished in the WAFL winning two best and fairests for the Bulldogs, and was taken by Richmond with pick No. 13 in the AFL’s new May draft.
At the time, national recruiting manager Matt Clarke said the club was “really excited” about the midfielder’s short and medium-term prospects.
“He can be a really strong presence in there (midfield) as a clearance player, he's really good aerially, and can really kick the ball a long way,” Clarke said.
Grigg, who played a key back-up ruck role in Richmond’s 2017 premiership triumph, said Pickett had committed himself fully since landing at Punt Rd.
“I’ve spent a lot of time at the footy club this year, helping do some development work with the guys, and he (Pickett) is a great bloke first and foremost,” he said.
“He really wants to do well for his family. He wants to give his family a head start and wants to make them proud and he’s certainly doing that now.”
Voss doubtful as Dockers ramp up coach search
Chris Vernuccio
Fremantle’s search for their new head coach will intensify this week, but Brisbane great Michael Voss has reportedly pulled out of the running.
The race to be named Fremantle coach was seemingly thrown wide open on Friday when reports surfaced that early favourite Justin Longmuir was considering taking an assistant’s role at Carlton.
But the Collingwood assistant has since quashed talk that he has pulled out of the process for the Fremantle gig, saying he is “absolutely” interested in the role.
Collingwood’s preliminary final exit at the hands of GWS on Saturday means Longmuir can now make his pitch to Fremantle’s coaching selection panel. More formal talks are set to be conducted this week, with the likes of Peter Sumich, Dean Solomon, and Josh Carr still in the race.
Voss was also expected to be a strong contender, but reports surfaced on Monday that the current Port Adelaide assistant has
pulled out of the race. Fremantle wouldn’t comment on the timeline of an expected coaching appointment when contacted on Monday, but a decision could be made by next week.
Sumich is seen as Longmuir’s main rival for the head coach role. The former Eagle spent long stints as an assistant at West Coast and Fremantle, and more recently led WA to the under-18s Championship in his third year in charge.
Sumich narrowly missed out on West Coast’s head coaching role to Adam Simpson at the end of 2013, but is hopeful of achieving his coaching dream at Fremantle.
Such an appointment at the Dockers would be somewhat ironic given that Sumich was forced to leave his assistant’s post there in 2016 after a falling-out with then-coach Ross Lyon.
Lyon was sacked last month despite having a year remaining on his contract, with chief executive Steve Rosich shown the door on the same day.
Several fans took to Facebook and Twitter to convey their frustration after another finals exit, which comes after club president Colin Carter revealed he had received a host of ‘disrespectful’ letters throughout September.
Cook said he was content the majority of members and supporters were satisfied with the club’s performance in 2019, dismissing the criticism as a vocal minority.
“We were ranked number one in terms of culture in our engagement with players this year and have been one or two for three or four years,” Cook said.
“Our staff are highly satisfied, our sponsors are highly satisfied and our members are highly satisfied.
“So the metrics are saying we are doing OK, and if they weren’t I would be really concerned, so when I see the odd Facebook post from a disgruntled member I don’t get too concerned.
“If those comments were being reflected in a lot of the research we are doing I would be really concerned but none of it is … so I don’t buy what a small minority of supporters, a loud minority, on Facebook and social media are saying.”
Carter spoke to 3AW on Saturday and said he was shocked by some of the letters he had received in the past month.
“I am amazed at how ugly a very small rump of the supporters are,” Carter said.
One TAB punter stands to be $60,000 richer if Fremantle captain Nat Fyfe salutes in tonight's Brownlow Medal count.
Fyfe is listed on the fourth line of betting at $7, behind favourite Patrick Dangerfield ($2.50), Marcus Bontempelli ($6) and Lachie Neale ($6).
One punter plonked $10,000 on Fyfe at those odds today.
Fyfe has been the third-most popular player on Brownlow Day in the market, with Dangerfield attracting 21 per cent of votes.
TAB favourites have won the last four Brownlow Medals starting with Nat Fyfe in 2015 ($2) followed by Dangerfield ($1.16 in 2016), Dustin Martin ($1.05 in 2017) and Tom Mitchell ($1.45 in 2018).
Another punte has bet $2,000 at $15 on Collingwood’s Brodie Grundy for a potential $30,000 payday.
Eligible Richmond members who were unsuccessful in the grand final ticket ballot or did not register, may have the opportunity in a potential secondary on-sale, should there be remaining tickets at the completion of GWS Giants on-sale.
The secondary on-sale will be open to eligible members on Tuesday, September 24 via Ticketek.
The on-sale times are:
11am-1pm: Any unsuccessful ballot Richmond members (those who registered but missed out on a ticket)
12pm-1pm: Any remaining eligible Richmond members in Priority Groups 1-3 who did not register in the ballot
Priority 1: 2019 Premiership Circle – Great Southern Stand, Ponsford, Olympic (excluding Premiership Circle Provisional members), Maurice Rioli Club (Provisional, Tier 2, Tier 1) 3121, Club XI and Yellow & Black members.
Priority 2: All Platinum 25-49 years consecutive members
Priority 3: All Gold 10-24 years consecutive members
Eligible Richmond members who were unsuccessful in the grand final ticket ballot or did not register, may have the opportunity in a potential secondary on-sale, should there be remaining tickets at the completion of GWS Giants on-sale.
The secondary on-sale will be open to eligible members on Tuesday, September 24 via Ticketek.
The on-sale times are:
11am-1pm: Any unsuccessful ballot Richmond members (those who registered but missed out on a ticket)
12pm-1pm: Any remaining eligible Richmond members in Priority Groups 1-3 who did not register in the ballot
Priority 1: 2019 Premiership Circle – Great Southern Stand, Ponsford, Olympic (excluding Premiership Circle Provisional members), Maurice Rioli Club (Provisional, Tier 2, Tier 1) 3121, Club XI and Yellow & Black members.
Priority 2: All Platinum 25-49 years consecutive members
Priority 3: All Gold 10-24 years consecutive members
Several fans took to Facebook and Twitter to convey their frustration after another finals exit, which comes after club president Colin Carter revealed he had received a host of ‘disrespectful’ letters throughout September.
Cook said he was content the majority of members and supporters were satisfied with the club’s performance in 2019, dismissing the criticism as a vocal minority.
“We were ranked number one in terms of culture in our engagement with players this year and have been one or two for three or four years,” Cook said.
“Our staff are highly satisfied, our sponsors are highly satisfied and our members are highly satisfied.
“So the metrics are saying we are doing OK, and if they weren’t I would be really concerned, so when I see the odd Facebook post from a disgruntled member I don’t get too concerned.
“If those comments were being reflected in a lot of the research we are doing I would be really concerned but none of it is … so I don’t buy what a small minority of supporters, a loud minority, on Facebook and social media are saying.”
Carter spoke to 3AW on Saturday and said he was shocked by some of the letters he had received in the past month.
“I am amazed at how ugly a very small rump of the supporters are,” Carter said.
