AFL Richmond news: Stay up-to-date with the Tigers pre-season

Tom Lynch’s form was questioned by many last season, including Jonathan Brown. The Tigers spearhead has finally had his say on the comments.

As Tom Lynch’s hamstring groaned under the strain of a huge pre-season last month it dawned on him he might just be getting old.

For so long Lynch’s body has been immune to the soft tissue injuries other players have endured with the single exception of a reconstructed posterior cruciate ligament.

It was why he was Richmond’s very own Golden child, an ex-Suns free agency spearhead who arrived to win a pair of premierships and bask in the adulation of a Tigers dynasty.

Yet these past 12 months have seen the first mixed reviews of his career, more surgery on that troublesome knee and now the recent summer hamstring injury.

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If you wanted to build a narrative that the 29-year-old faced the same challenges as an Richmond list with its best behind it, you could at least attempt to fill in the dots.

Not so bloody fast.

As Lynch prepares to return from that minor hamstring tweak, adamant his knee has never felt better, he says Richmond isn’t going anywhere.

Enlivened by the influx of five early draftees and the new ideas of ex-Carlton coach David Teague, he says Richmond isn’t going quietly into the night.

“The hammy is fine. It’s only a minor one, really,” he said on his way to a mate’s wedding as he was held out of a Thursday match simulation session.

Tom Lynch on the run at Punt Rd. Picture: Michael Klein

“We will go a little bit slower with it this time of the year, because we have that extra few weeks up our sleeve. I am feeling fine, I will be in the main group in the last week or two. I haven’t done many, this is only the second hammy I have done. I was a little more surprised than anything when I did it. But I am getting old now. These things can happen, it should be no worries at all for the season. I should be OK for the (Saturday February 26) practice match but it will be up to the docs. I will either do a big session or a practice match, so you know which I will be targeting. But it’s nothing to worry about.”

Lynch might joke about his advancing years but after two excellent seasons – 63.31 in 2019 and 32.27 in a shortened 2020 premiership year – his moderate 2021 haul of 35.33 had a much simpler explanation.

In a year where Richmond’s ball movement and delivery to forwards was poor anyway, Lynch just couldn’t quite string together a sustained patch of form.

What would he rank the season out of 10 after a year where the forward mafia (Jon Brown, Matthew Lloyd) both criticised his impact?

“It’s always hard to put a number on it. I would probably say a five. I didn’t have a shocking year but I didn’t have the year I would have liked. At different stages I was up and down and missed a few games with injury and came back but also at a personal level I didn’t complete games.

“You walk away sometimes having kicked straight and it looks like you have had a better day than you have had but I still managed to be the focal point and try to bring other players into the game but without that real high performance that every player wants to play well.”

The knee injury that saw Lynch missing Rounds 11-15 might have raised eyebrows given his history but Lynch says it is a non-factor going forward.

He has four seasons on his Richmond contract but won’t give himself an injury alibi for the season.

Lynch says he is ready for a leadership role. Picture: Mark Stewart

“It was quite strange, it wasn’t painful at all. After a game it was getting really swollen, which I hadn’t had at all at Richmond. I could have kept playing but the surgeon decided to get it done straight away. We had a bye so we used the bye and I could get back in three or four weeks so it was quite minor and it has felt fine ever since.

“It is one of those things, it could be part of (the previous PCL reconstruction) but it might not be. It just popped up out of nowhere and it’s not an issue. The knee feels great.”

Brown’s August criticism of Lynch after four goals in three weeks came as he implored the Tigers star to get up the ground to have more influence and even throw himself into the ruck.

If you know the unflappable Lynch, you know he isn’t going to hit back with some quotable quote.

And you won’t get the kind of response that saw Damien Hardwick fiercely hitting back at Brown for his “cheap seats” criticism of the Lions legend as forgetting how hard the game is.

Instead he says part of Brown’s criticism was valid and some of it ignored the role he is actually required to play.

“At various times (the criticism) was valid. Dimma is great and he backs in his players. There is truth in some things and then with others you are like, that’s just not true.

“(Brown) was saying I have to get up the ground more and get more involved. It was a fair summation, really. But I am not going to get up into the ruck just to get a possession when it would be to the detriment of the team. We have got some great rucks and if I can still bring a contest that’s fine. Dimma is a great coach and you can see he cares for his players. He has got your back and he’s always going to support you.”

During Richmond’s first September off since 2016 Lynch was chuffed to see former co-captain Steven May lift the premiership cup, shocked by Melbourne’s capacity to find a fifth gear.

Tom Lynch says he has recovered from the injuries that plagued him last season. Picture: Michael Klein

Yet that white line fever kicks in again as Lynch makes clear Richmond will contend this season.

“I was rapt for Maysey. It was great to see him win. I hope he doesn’t win another one, hopefully we will get back there, but I was really happy for him,” he said.

“Melbourne just seemed so powerful, they scored so quickly. Everyone was a bit impressed by the way they went about it. The Dogs are a bloody good side and for Melbourne to do that to them was very impressive.”

So how does Richmond reignite its flag charge and topple Melbourne when some pundits might believe one superpower is falling and another is only just emerging?

“We are a bit younger than people perceive us on the outside. We have still got a good list together and those five draftees will come in. We have guys like Hugo Ralphsmith and Tom Dow. These guys are still young and will take big strides this year.

“You always want to play finals and to have a taste of what it’s like, you want to get back there so I think the boys are pretty excited and determined to get back there.”

No.9 draft pick Josh Gibcus has already made waves as a marking half back flank with great aerial ability and a huge desire to learn.

Lynch is excited by Tiger cubs Tom Brown and Joshua Gibcus. Picture: AFL Photos/Getty Images

“He came in and stayed at Grimesy’s (Dylan Grimes) farm for a couple of weeks and Grimesy had him working on the farm and he said, bugger this, I am going to get out and go to a host family,” he laughs.

“He had got a beautiful leap, he jumps well, so he will be that third tall defender.”

No. 17 pick Tom Brown is another pacy half back who darts through traffic and is making an early impression.

Midfielder Tyler Sonsie (pick 28), Rebounding defender Sam Banks (29) and mid-forward Judson Clarke (pick 30) round out the early haul.

Father son Maurice Rioli Jr’s two late-season games were only a taste of what to come given his rapid fitness improvements.

Lynch snaps for goal against the Giants, last season. Picture: Michael Klein

“He came in and I was thinking it was going to be a development year for him but to play two games was great for him. At the start of the year I didn’t think he was going to feature but he improved every week and he tackles hard, he hunts the ball and he is miles ahead of where he was last year.”

Former Blues coach Teague, in charge of offence/ball movement has helped spark new ideas and innovation in front-half ball movement, with the long summer giving Richmond months to actually train their tactical tweaks.

“He is really bubbly and energetic and he wants everyone to get better. He has some great new ideas offensively and I have already struck up a great relationship with him,” Lynch said.

“Xavier Clark is our forward coach too, so we will tweak a bit like we always do and we have had time to train those changes.”

WHY LYNCH BELIEVES BEN KING WILL REMAIN SUN — FOR NOW

Former Gold Coast captain Tom Lynch believes his heir apparent Ben King will remain at the Suns, given his determination to build something special at the expansion club.

And while Lynch says he will not aggressively chase Richmond’s captaincy, the former Sun skipper says it would be an honour to lead the Tigers.

Lynch told the Herald Sun only hours before King’s ACL tear he still believed King would remain at the club as he considers a decision believed to be between the Suns and St Kilda.

The pair share a management group and, while Lynch says he is not in a position to give King advice, he believes he will stay.

Tom Lynch has got his eye on a big season in the yellow and black. Picture: Mark Stewart

Lynch gave the Suns eight years of service before eventually returning to be closer to family, winning two premierships in his first two seasons at Punt Rd.

“To be honest, I don’t think I could give advice. He looks like he loves it up there, he has been playing great footy,” Lynch said.

“He is a super talent, impressive young kid, but from all reports it looks like he loves it up there and he’s pretty keen to stay up there.

“I loved my time up there in Gold Coast, I was there eight years and it was my time to leave and I couldn’t be happier that I made the decision to come to the Richmond footy club. It’s been outstanding.”

Will Ben King stay on the Gold Coast? Tom Lynch believes the answer is yes. Picture: Getty Images

Richmond has a wealth of captaincy contenders including Lynch, Dylan Grimes, Dustin Martin, Jack Riewoldt and the next brigade in Jack Graham and Nick Vlastuin.

While it would be an honour for Lynch, he says there are so many candidates he doesn’t need to put up his hand.

“Obviously it would be a massive privilege to captain the Richmond footy club and I would be happy to do it, but there are plenty of guys here that would do a great job of it, so I think I would happily do it but I wouldn’t say it is a burning desire.But it would be a massive privilege, if that makes sense.

“I loved being captain up there alongside Maysey (Steven May). I really enjoyed it. I look back and I reflect that I could have done things better, I definitely really enjoyed it, but with a couple more years and being a little bit older and more mature, there are things you could have done differently.”

Originally published as AFL Richmond news: Stay up-to-date with the Tigers pre-season