Why Tom Lynch will be free to play in the preliminary final against Port Adelaide
Tom Lynch has learned whether he’ll be free to play in Richmond’s preliminary final against Port Adelaide after coming under MRO scrutiny for kneeing Dougal Howard.
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Tom Lynch will be free to play in the preliminary final against Port Adelaide after being slapped with a second misconduct fine of the season for his knee to Dougal Howard’s neck.
Lynch again put himself in the match review spotlight when he got up from a contest by pushing his knee into the neck and head of his opponent Howard in the win over St Kilda.
The kneeing motion was not forceful enough to bring into action the AFL’s table of offences, which could have seen him suspended.
He instead has been fined $750 for misconduct.
Even a low-level kneeing fine using that table of offences could have seen him referred directly to the tribunal for his fourth low-level incident of the season.
Instead a misconduct fine for an unsportsmanlike act the AFL wants to take out of the game is the outcome which fits into his actions.
He has already been handed one misconduct fine for his rough shove to the head of Brisbane’s Alex Witherden early in the season.
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Under the AFL’s provisions a second misconduct fine is a larger fine than the first incident.
The guidelines state: “The financial sanction for a first, second, third or subsequent act of misconduct will be determined by the MRO in its absolute discretion.”
In Round 12 he was handed separate low-level striking fines for a jumper punch on Jarrod Witts and a strike to the stomach of Sam Collins.
The following week he was referred to the tribunal for a strike to Essendon’s Michael Hurley which took into account the previous week’s actions.
But the tribunal threw out the charge after deciding the strike was of a negligible nature and did not constitute a reportable offence.
Champion footballer and Channel 7 commentator Wayne Carey called it a silly act on Friday night.
Making his comeback from a hamstring injury, Lynch had been a focal point upfront with two goals in the first half.
Captain Trent Cotchin also laid a brutal tackle on Zak Jones in the first quarter at Metricon Stadium as the Tigers packed an unsociable — but largely contained — edge.
Cotchin was not cited for the tackle by the MRO.
Lynch was labelled a “wanker” by Brisbane Lion Mitch Robinson after he shoved Alex Witherden’s head towards the turf as his pattern of undisciplined acts dominated headlines.
Melbourne great David Schwarz said Lynch was “not tough” and needed to “stop trying to be something your not” in a verbal barb which struck a nerve with Hardwick.
The rest of the Tigers pulled their heads in after last week’s sloppy performance where they gifted the Lions two goals from 50m penalties.
But Lynch gave away a 50m penalty on Friday night when he threw Howard to the ground before the knee contact.
Speaking after the match, Tigers coach Damien Hardwick backed Lynch’s aggressive edge and encouraged his team to keep up its imposing physicality.
Hardwick was confident Lynch would have no case to answer for the kneeing and said the umpire might have got that 50m penalty against his star forward wrong.
“Great teams always play on the edge,” Hardwick said.
“The fact of the matter is it’s a big boys’ game. There’s a reason we’re into our fourth preliminary final in a row.
“We play a hard, tough brand of footy and there’s no way I’d discourage that for our players, that’s for sure.”
Lynch will get to work with forwards coach Craig Macrae after kicking five behinds in the second half, but Hardwick said it was time to give him credit for his uncompromising approach.
“Tom’s an aggressive type of player,” Hardwick said.
“The way he jumps at packs is incredible, and we tend to focus on the 20 per cent and not the 80 per cent.
“We don’t look at him for smashing two blokes and getting the ball to ground for Shai Bolton to kick two or three goals, we look at the incident that’s minuscule.
“It’s what we do as society, we focus on the negative.”
While the force of Lynch’s kneeing incident is unlikely to see himbanned, it will be a nervous wait for the hothead who has already been fined for two dumb incidents this season.
Match review officer Michael Christian then sent Lynch to the tribunal to explain himself after he committed a third offence, although he was found not guilty at the hearing.
MATTHEWS SAYS SEND LYNCH TO TRIBUNAL
AFL legend Leigh Matthews says Richmond forward Tom Lynch should be sent directly to the AFL tribunal for his knee to Saint Dougal Howard’s neck on Friday night.
Lynch again put himself in the match review spotlight when he got up from a contest by pushing his knee into the neck and head of his opponent Howard in the win over St Kilda.
Speaking on Saturday, Matthews said the case needed to be referred directly to the tribunal.
“I don’t think Tom Lynch should get a week, but he should go to the tribunal,” Matthews said on 3AW.
“There is a prima facie case that he appeared to kneel on Howard’s head.
“That’s enough to constitute rough play and it should be sent to the tribunal to adjudicate.”
Much has been made about Richmond’s mean streak this season as they chase a third flag in four years.
Former Essendon coach and Richmond three-time premiership player Kevin Sheedy said he didn’t understand what the fuss was about.
“I’m not quite sure what Richmond has done wrong, to be honest,” Sheedy said on 3AW.
“A couple of 50-metre penalties, okay you clean your act up there and you wouldn’t want to do it against Port.
“The captain gave away a couple of free kicks and I didn’t think there was anything in it.
“The thing I like about Richmond is they play attractive football.”
WAS THIS ANOTHER SCORE REVIEW BLUNDER?
It was another controversial night for the AFL’s goal review system, with what appeared to be a pair of consecutive errors costing St Kilda’s Jack Sinclair a second-quarter goal.
Tiger Nick Vlastuin attempted to touch the ball, but did not make contact, and the ball appeared to land over the goal line before bouncing back into play. It was then rushed through, with the field umpire missing the original goal and signalling a point.
The score reviewer then decided there was insufficient evidence to overturn the umpire’s call, even though TV replays appeared conclusive.
Hardwick pulled some surprise moves with defender David Astbury the man used as ruckman Toby Nankervis’s back-up.
Astbury even took some centre bounces while megastar Dustin Martin went up in the ruck in the forward line in the first half.
Halfback Jayden Short was released onto the wing in the first quarter as the Tiger piled on their scoreboard damage from stoppages.
TIGERS SHOW THEIR INTENT EARLY
It took just 30 seconds for Richmond to make its presence felt.
From the moment Tom Lynch out-marked a close-checking Dougal Howard from a Tigers centre takeaway to kick the game’s opening goal, there was a sense of inevitability about the type of Richmond side that had rolled up to Metricon Stadium.
To borrow a line, these were in many ways the Tigers of old, but perhaps with another gear still to climb. And look out Port Adelaide next week in a blockbuster prelim that would otherwise be worthy of a Grand Final.
A week after losing their cool and their brand against Brisbane, the Tigers were not about to let the latest finals upstart dismantle their premiership assault. They are now into their fourth consecutive preliminary final after the 31-point win.
Shai Bolton set the Tigers alight with two goals in the first quarter and Dustin Martin was his usual powerful self around the stoppages.
Shane Edwards (21 possessions, two goals and five clearances) was a constant presence around the ball as Richmond jumped to an early lead, kept the Saints at arm’s reach and then finished with a flourish.
Tom Lynch made an impact in his return from a hamstring injury, but his was a performance with many talking points.
Lynch was a constant threat in attack, but his radar was off, kicking 2.5 and another out of bounds. He will also find himself in the match review spotlight after pushing a knee into Dougal Howard.
EARLY WARNING SIGNS
Richmond was only 17 points up at quarter-time but the die was cast.
Their hold on the game felt much more than that; a side reinforced with premiership experience on every line was not going to falter for a second week.
The Saints were full of endeavour early but also perhaps overanxious, perhaps worried about the aerial threat of Lynch and Jack Riewoldt, and often had too many defenders flying to the footy without regard for the consequence.
It left them exposed at ground level and allowed the Tigers to swoop.
CHAOS BRAND BACK IN VOGUE
The result? Richmond’s chaos brand was on full show as Shane Edwards dribbled a goal through and Shai Bolton kicked back-to-back majors, including one where he bobbled through congestion and had the luck of a Shane Warne leg-break.
At the other end, Liam Baker and Bachar Houli were mopping up and Richmond had seized control.
There was a sniff of a blowout, but the Saints were at least able to steady.
St Kilda just made hard work of everything.
Not only did inaccuracy undermine any attempt to claw back the lead, even some of the Saints’ goals came with a level of anxiety throughout the night.
The Saints pepped their attacking end at the start of the third quarter — six of the first seven inside 50s — but failed to cash in.
OPPORTUNITY LOST FOR SAINTS
Josh Battle — who had been off the ground with a foot injury — hit the post from 20m out and Rowan Marshall also failed to make the most of a 50m penalty that could have heaped pressure on the Tigers.
Dan Butler’s goal on the stroke of quarter time never should have been so close to the siren, but the Saints nearly botched with a disjointed build-up.
Dean Kent’s goal late in the third quarter also nearly slipped through the Saints’ fingers after a flurry of activity in the goal mouth.
In finals, especially as the underdog, you just have to take your chances. The Saints just couldn’t.
What’s your decision?
There was plenty of head scratching going on late in the second quarter when St Kilda’s Jack Sinclair was denied what appeared a goal after a lengthy score review.
YOUR CALL?
The “soft call” from the goal umpire — who was in the best position — was touched and while the vision was blurry, it did appear to show the ball missed the stretched arm of Richmond’s Nick Vlastuin.
Vlastuin did appeal for touched, but not with the same conviction often seen by players who are adamant they have got a hand on the footy.
The footy also landed close to the line, but marginally over, in another twist to
SCOREBOARD
RICHMOND 5.1 9.1 10.4 12.8 (80)
ST KILDA 2.2 3.6 5.11 6.13 (49)
GOALS
Richmond: Bolton 3, Lynch 2, Edwards 2, Martin, McKintosh, Rioli, Prestia, Castagna.
St Kilda: Steele, Ross, Savage, Kent, Battle, Butler.
BEST
Richmond: Edwards, Martin, Lynch, Bolton, Nankervis, Houli
St Kilda: Steele, Marshall, Ross, Coffield
INJURIES
Saints: Membrey (ankle).
UMPIRES
Findlay, Ryan, Mollison.
Venue
Metricon Stadium.
VOTES
3. S. Edwards
2. D. Martin
1. T. Lynch
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RATTEN: DAMNING STATS TELL THE TALE
St Kilda coach Brett Ratten has urged his club to keep “pushing the boundaries” in a bid to turn its breakthrough finals appearance into sustained success.
Ratten tipped more list evolution for the club, including the likelihood of topping up with further recruits as the Saints seek to bridge the gap on top clubs like Richmond.
“Our consistency across the board for four quarters probably wasn’t there compared to Richmond,” Ratten said after Friday night’s 31-point loss.
“They were probably a bit stronger around the contest, more explosive at times and a bit cleaner at times.
“That’s our challenge as a club, but how quickly can we get there?
“We’ll probably add a couple of players from outside our footy club onto our list.
“There will be changes and there’s always challenges with that too because when you take people out of your environment and bring new people in, your culture can change, so you have to be careful that you maintain what you are trying to do on the field and off the field.”
The Saints will target an extra midfielder and are chasing a forward to help take the pressure off Max King as they prepare for another active trade period.
Ratten admitted the absence of injured ruckman Paddy Ryder had a major bearing on the loss after the Saints were carved up around the ball.
The Saints were smashed 15-5 in centre clearances, while Ratten highlighted a host of damning stats, including the Tigers’ ability to score 8.4 to 1.3 from stoppages.
“That’s the game in itself,” Ratten said, while stressing Rowan Marshall was not the problem.
St Kilda also had a shot-at-goal accuracy of 28.6 per cent — its second-worst return this season.
“We didn’t complete our plays tonight when we could have had the chance,” Ratten said.
Ratten urged the Saints to take the next step, confident the club’s young core would benefit from the semi-final experience.
“You’ve got to put yourself out there: do you want to be good, or do you want to be great? That’s the part,” Ratten said.
“You’ve got to put yourself out there.
“You can sit there and be comfortable and (say), ‘I won’t expose myself here’, or (you can say) ‘I’m going to have a go and I might fail’.
“But if you never have a go, you never know, and that’s what we need to do. We need to just keep pushing the boundaries.
“Sometimes we will fail, but we’ll fail having a crack.”
Ratten said he was confident Jake Carlisle would get a new contract at the club, but that the situation was ongoing.