The contract status of one Tom J. Lynch has become one the massive talking points as the 2018 AFL season unfolds. Turning 26 at the end of October this year, Lynch is set to become an restricted free agent at the end of this current season and there has been a number of clubs circling the Gold Coast co-captain.
Since the start of the concept of Free Agency in the AFL, we've seen big-name players such as Brendon Goddard, Lance Franklin, Eddie Betts, Shaun Higgins, Patrick Dangerfield (Despite being traded he was still a free agent) and Tom Rockliff all change clubs through free agency and it looks set to happen once again with Tom Lynch as he is the most in-demand player out-of-contract at the moment.
What he's achieved in his first eight seasons has been quite impressive and it should come as no surprise that the achievements on his resume to date have taken the notice of rival clubs. He's a four-time club leading goalkicker, a two-time club best and fairest, an All-Australian in 2016 and has been one of two co-captains at the Suns since 2017. The most impressive thing is that he has achieved this at a club as dysfunctional as the Gold Coast Suns.
In 131 games, Lynch has kicked over 250 goals in his career, and at 25 years of age, he has a massive decision ahead of him at the end of the season. Does he stay with the Gold Coast Suns? Or does he leave the club to go back to his home state of Victoria?
We're approaching the end of July and we're still not as close to finding out where he will go, as opposed to the beginning of the season when Tom Lynch held off contract talks with the Suns. So today I thought I'd list the potential teams in the running for the out-of-contract forward.
4. Staying With The Gold Coast Suns This would have to be the biggest 'leap of faith' move that any player can make. To put it simply, the Gold Coast Suns have literally gone nowhere since they entered the competition in 2011. Tom Lynch has been there since day one and has devoted eight years of his life for a team that had been belted from pillar to post for the most part of those eight seasons. If he was to commit to the Suns, it would be a huge talking point, not just for the next few years, but for many decades down the line.
His coach, Stuart Dew has even admitted to going as far as to say that “Things aren't looking great” about the prospect of Lynch staying at the Gold Coast Suns beyond 2018. I wouldn't be shocked to see Lynch leave the club, but if he is to stay, I would like to think that he has seen enough to believe in what Stuart Dew is trying to build. Before he arrived as coach, the Suns were a legitimate rabble. Many talented players walked out, and as a result, it left them severely depleted of experience and all the losses had piled up.
On the weekend, they beat a side that nobody believed they could've beaten – the Sydney Swans. On the Swans' home ground that is the SCG and coming down from a 29-point quarter-time deficit as well. Alex Sexton and Aaron Young kicked seven of the Suns' 12 goals, Rory Thompson held Lance Franklin goal-less and youngsters such as Will Brodie, Lachie Weller and Touk Miller all played well in the middle.
The Suns may not be so good now, but there is time for them to turn it around and they will need to do it with Lynch in the side, fully fit. They will also need to put game time in the likes of Brodie (eight games), Weller (64 games), Young (93), Jarryd Lyons (88) and Miller (77). There were only four men on that side on Saturday that had played 100 games or more. The odds will say he is a dead-set certainty to flee the Gold Coast, but strange things happen all the time in Footy, there is still every chance he will stay.
3. Collingwood This is a very interesting move and one potential target that can make the Pies a massive force in the league and a move that could land them as legitimate premiership contenders in 2019. After a very poor 2017 and two losses to start the 2018 season, many people were questioning whether or not the decision to re-sign Nathan Buckley to a new contract at the end of 2017 was a smart move. Full credit to the Collingwood board, because that was a decision they got right.
After their round two loss to Greater Western Sydney, the Pies have gone on to win 12 of their next 15 games, and as it currently stands, they sit third on the AFL ladder – a game clear of Sydney in fourth and a game behind Richmond and West Coast, who occupy the top two spots on the ladder. After 17 rounds, I think it's pretty clear that the Pies will be playing Finals for the first time since 2013, and are even looking good for a top-four double chance.
A critical component in Collingwood's improvement this year is their forward line. Much like the Western Bulldogs in 2016 and Richmond last year, Collingwood's scoring has generated from a much smaller contingent of players. Josh Thomas (28 goals), Jaidyn Stephenson (28), Jordan De Goey (30) and Will Hoskin-Elliott (34) have carved up opposition defences this year, but they would love to get their hands on a gun key forward, because they don't have one to compliment their smalls.
I've liked Mason Cox's development this year, but I believe he is more suited as a back-up ruck for Brodie Grundy, and besides, I think having Tom Lynch play the roaming centre-half forward option, similar to Jack Riewoldt at Richmond, could still mean the big American can pinch-hit at full-forward from time to time. All this sounds very good, but the big question marks are whether or not the Pies have enough room in the cap to secure Lynch, as there are a number of stars on this Collingwood list.
2. Hawthorn It was strange to think that less than three years ago, this team was on the verge of achieving a three-peat of premierships – which is something very hard to achieve in any team sport, let alone the AFL. But fast-forward to today, the premiership window is currently shut. Alastair Clarkson isn't looking for a full-on rebuild, they're currently rebuilding on the run and it comes as no surprise to anyone that they are among the front-runners to secure Tom Lynch. At the end of 2016, they dumped Jordan Lewis and Sam Mitchell – who were two of many valuable pieces in their three-peat – to other clubs and replaced them with Tom Mitchell and Jaeger O'Meara as midfielders of the future. Add offloading Luke Hodge last year, Cyril Rioli's retirement this year, as well a potential retirement of Shaun Burgoyne means that their should be some available cap space to make a serious play on Tom Lynch.
If the Hawks were to successfully sign him on, it could mean that it would allow Hawthorn captain Jarryd Roughead to play more of an all-rounder type role, as opposed to being the full-forward. Remember, Roughead has the engine and the experience to play as the second ruck, to play some midfield minutes and even float down back. On the other hand, adding Lynch to a forward line of Roughead, Luke Breust, Jack Gunston and Paul Puopolo would make the forward line pretty formidable.
Would the recruitment of Lynch propel the Hawks into genuine contenders again? It's hard to tell from here. At the moment, the Hawks are a side that are stuck in the middle of the AFL ladder. Some more midfield talent to help Mitchell, Liam Shiels and O'Meara would be good, but the addition of Lynch could make for very exciting times for the brown and gold next year and surely a big-money deal and a chance to play finals would be too good to refuse.
1. Richmond It sounds absurd to hear that the 2017 Reigning premiers are amongst the favourites to land Tom Lynch. Perhaps it is a prime example that Free Agency in the AFL just simply makes the rich teams richer and poor teams poorer. Nonetheless, the Tigers are well and truly in the running for securing his services. Richmond have just recently reached over 100,000 members – the first time in AFL history any club has done that. I'm sure Lynch would love to play in front of mammoth crowds, like the Tigers are capable of producing.
Obviously it would be a terrific career-move for Lynch personally to move from a struggling team such as the Gold Coast and put him in a position to win a premiership with a team such as Richmond. Last year they won the 2017 flag from an Adelaide side that had looked the goods for most of that year and have backed it up with an equally impressive 2018 season, sitting first on the ladder and looking poised to be up there once again come the business end of the season.
However the big concern is to whether or Lynch's potential inclusion to Tigerland could upset the team chemistry this club has shown over the past year and a bit. Richmond defender Alex Rance voiced his concerns on Fox Footy's 'On The Couch' one evening, believing that the club should not be 'upsetting the apple cart to chase the big fish.' He makes a solid point. The forward line worked so well last year, with Riewoldt as the sole tall forward, and the likes of Josh Caddy, Daniel Rioli, Dan Butler and Jason Castagna gelling so well together as small forwards.
Can it work with Lynch thrown into the mix? There will be somebody talking about the salary cap, but they will have to offload players anyway to get Lynch in. He's a top-tier talent and you can just about guarantee that any Victorian side would want to have a man of Lynch's calibre on their side. However, Richmond have made Finals campaigns in recent years on the back of two talls in their forward 50. Imagine having Riewoldt and Lynch working side by side with their mosquito fleet of forwards – it could potentially cause a lot of damage in the league.