Star Richmond recruit Tom Lynch caught up with ‘Roar Vision’ upon his arrival at Tigerland for a chat about the transition to his new football home. Here’s what he had to say . . .
Richmond rapture
“Very excited to join Tigerland . . . It’s great to be finally official. The deal’s done and we can get on with getting back into it.”
The lure of the Tigers
“From the outside looking in, I think they’ve got something really special there . . . a lot of great care and they look like they’re really enjoying their footy. And obviously playing under Damien Hardwick is a massive drawcard as well. I think it’s just a really good fit. Also, playing alongside Jack Riewoldt will be nice for my footy, and I’m excited about that.”
The Hardwick influence
“He spoke about the second tall (forward) option being what the Tigers needed and things that suited me. And I think he just showed that he has great care for his players . . . From the outside, you can tell that really clearly. So I can’t wait to get involved.”
Teaming up with Jack Riewoldt
“It’ll be really exciting to play alongside Jack. It’s the first time I’ve probably had an older senior guy that I can mentor off . . . He’s obviously a great footballer and a really smart footballer, so it will be nice to form a partnership with him.”
Marquee games in front of the Tiger Army
“It will be pretty exciting Round 1 playing Carlton . . . there’ll be 90,000 there. I can’t wait for that to start and to play in big games. And playing more on the MCG will be very exciting. I’ve probably only played there a handful of times over my career so far, so it will be exciting to run out in front of the Tiger Army.”
His major on-field attributes
“I think marking is my strength. The Tigers have got a great midfield, and it will be nice to get on the end of a few Dustin Martin passes. Excited about that . . . just can’t wait.”
Reuniting with former Suns teammates Dion Prestia and Josh Caddy
“I played with Dion for six years and ‘Cads’ for two years, so I know them very well and it will be nice to be teammates with them again. It makes it easier coming to a club knowing a couple of guys there already.”
Renewing acquaintances with another Sun-turned-Tiger Andrew McQualter
“It’ll be great. I played with ‘Mini’ up on the Gold Coast and he’s going to be the forwards coach (at Richmond in 2019). I’ve already got a strong relationship with him . . .”
His PCL injury update
“It’s going really well. I’ll be fairly restricted for the first month, I suppose, but after Christmas I’ll be flying. I’ll be right to go Round 1 . . . I’ll just be a little bit slow to start off with.”
