Thomas J. Lynch (born 31 October 1992) is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL) as a key forward. He previously played 131 games and kicked a then club-record 254 goals at the Gold Coast Suns after being drafted by the club with the 11th overall pick in the 2010 national draft. He served as Gold Coast's co-captain in 2017 and 2018. Lynch is a two time premiership player with Richmond, he is an All-Australian, a two-time Gold Coast club champion, four-time Gold Coast leading goalkicker, two-time Richmond leading goalkicker and one-time Richmond best and fairest.
Early life and junior football Lynch grew up in the small seaside town of Blairgowrie on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula, 87 km south of Melbourne.
He began playing junior football for the local Sorrento Football Club in the Mornington Peninsula Nepean Football League, where he won multiple premierships across his junior years. Lynch played as a centre half-forward and centre-half back as a junior, and grew 15 centimetres between the ages of 16 and 18. During this time he attended school at Padua College.
He was unable to earn selection to local TAC Cup representative team, the Dandenong Stingrays as a 16-year-old in 2009, but in 2010 played a handful of games in the early part of the year before earning selection for the Victorian Country team at the 2010 AFL Under 18 Championships. He played in all five of his side's matches that year, playing a key role in their premiership with a total of eight goals to his name and an average 13 disposals per game across the tournament. Upon returning to the TAC Cup competition, Lynch began to thrive, featuring in Dandenong's best players in each of his last seven matches.
Prior to the draft, Lynch drew comparisons to former Richmond forward Matthew Richardson for his athleticism, endurance and contested marking ability. He was also labelled by the Herald Sun as a "clone" of 's Nick Riewoldt.
At the 2010 AFL draft camp he recorded strong beep test (14.6) and three kilometre time trial results (10 minutes 41 seconds) but also recorded the slowest 20-metre sprint time (3.31 seconds) among any tested player.
AFL career Gold Coast (2011–2018) 2011 season Lynch was drafted to with the club's seventh pick and the 11th selection overall in the 2010 AFL draft.
He made his AFL debut in an eight-point win over in round 7 of the 2011 season. Lynch took a match-high nine marks in the win, as well as recording 17 disposals and kicking two goals. The following week he was again impactful, kicking two goals and being named by AFL Media as among Gold Coast's best players on the day. Lynch continued to receive AFL selection across the next five weeks, including when he kicked three goals each in consecutive matches in rounds 13 and 14. He missed one match at AFL level in round 15, returning to play a further six consecutive matches at AFL level from round 16 onward, but managing just two goals in total over that period. Lynch finished his debut season having played 13 matches at AFL level and having kicked 15 goals.
2012 season
In 2012 Lynch played a myriad of roles, not only as a tall forward but also in the ruck and as a key defender. He interchanged between those roles over the first 10 matches of the season after starting the year in the club's best 22. After kicking two goals in that period, Lynch missed the next six weeks due to injury. He made his return to football with one match with the club's reserves side in the NEAFL before regaining AFL level selection for round 17's match against . Lynch kicked a goal in that match and continued to goal in each of the next four straight matches. He kicked his only tally of multiple goals that season with a then career-best four goals in a win over in round 22 for which he earned a perfect three Brownlow Medal votes, the first votes of his career. Lynch finished 2012 having played 17 matches at AFL level for a total of 12 goals.
2013 season After missing the first four weeks of the season with a foot injury, Lynch opened his 2013 campaign with two goals in a win over the Giants that saw him named among the Suns' best players by AFL Media in that round 5 win. Together with a total of four goals, he managed more than 10 disposals in four of the next five matches. Lynch's best performance of the year came in round 11, where he kicked two goals in a win over at Metricon Stadium. The very next week Lynch suffered a significant posterior cruciate ligament knee injury when colliding with 's Jake Melksham in the second quarter of the Suns' round 12 loss. He failed to return from that injury before season's end, with a further foot injury and foot surgery ensuring he finished 2013 having played just eight AFL matches and having kicked eight goals.
2014 season Before the beginning of the 2014 season Lynch was appointed co-vice captain of the Suns, as part of a newly expanded five-man vice captaincy group. Despite his end of season foot surgery, Lynch was back to full training by February and returned to AFL football in a round 1 win over , kicking two goals and earning a mention by AFL Media as among the Suns best players. In round 6 he kicked a career-best five goals in a win over . He added two more the following week and was again named as one of his side's best. In May Lynch was described by AFL Media as "one of the best young forwards in the competition" and in rounds 9 and 10 he showed why, kicking four goals in each of the two wins. He played one of his only two goalless matches of the season the next week, but returned to the goalkickers list in round 12. In round 13 Lynch kicked three goals, including a near-match winner later in the fourth quarter before managed a late game-saving goal in response. A further four goals came for Lynch in round 19 before tallies of four and three to end the season in rounds 22 and 23. Lynch finished the season without missing a match, kicking a then-best total of 46 goals across 22 matches and earning the club's leading goalkicker award. For his breakout season Lynch placed second in the club's best and fairest count, just seven points shy of David Swallow's winning tally of 240.
2015 season
After missing the opening round due to a suspension, Lynch's 2015 season began in earnest with a loss to in which he kicked a team-best three goals. He matched that haul the following week and was named by AFL Media as one of the Suns' best in that match. In round 7 Lynch was a late omission from the side due to a minor calf injury. He would immediately return in round 8, recording 21 disposals but going goalless in a loss to . Lynch's next significant goalkicking tally came after the bye, when he was the Suns' best with four goals in round 13's loss to . He added a tally of four goals in round 17, before injuries to senior leaders Gary Ablett and Michael Rischitelli saw Lynch serve as club captain for the first time in round 18. He kicked another four goals in that game, including a match-saving goal in the final seconds of that draw against . The following week Lynch earned the Marcus Ashcroft Medal as best on ground with five goals in the Suns' QClash win over the in round 19. Lynch would finish the season with nine goals across his final four matches, totally 43 goals in 20 matches in 2015. He also led the league for total contested marks, with 39 recorded across those matches. For his goalkicking tally, Lynch earned his second straight club leading goalkicker award and was selected to the AFL's 22 Under 22 team that recognises the best young players in the league. He was also awarded the club's best and fairest honour, finishing narrowly above defender Kade Kolodjashnij thanks in particular to his strong form in the final two months of the season.
2016 season After reportedly knocking back million-dollar contract offers from other clubs in the off-season, media pundits labelled Lynch a likely choice as the Suns' next captain, while Fox Footy commentator Jonathan Brown said Lynch was "in the upper echelon of young key forwards" in the league. He continued as co-vice captain that year, and began the 2016 season by kicking four goals in a win over in round 1. Another five goals followed in round 2, before Lynch formally recommitted to the Suns by signing a new contract extension through the end of the 2018 season and reportedly worth around $800,000 per season. He extended his exceptional form over the next three weeks, kicking another 13 goals to lead the competition with 22 goals over the first five rounds of the season. At that time, Lynch also led the league in the AFL Coaches Association player of the year award. Though Lynch had dropped to third place in that same award after round 7, Jonathan Brown again heaped praise on him, anointing Lynch the best and most complete power forward in the league. By his own lofty standards, Lynch had a reduced output in the following month, next kicking four goals while also posting a new career high with seven marks inside-50 in a round 12 match against . His opponent on the day All-Australian defender Alex Rance, labelled Lynch the best key forward in the league following that match and in late June, Fox Footy's Jake Niall also praised Lynch, saying there was "no better young key forward in the game", calling him the best contested marker in the league and comparing him to former legend Stephen Kernahan. In round 15 Lynch recorded a career-best 14 marks before kicking another bag of five goals in round 16 and leading his side to a QClash win over the . Jonathan Brown again stepped up his praise for Lynch in early August, naming him the best player in the league owing to his league-leading tallies in contested marks, marks inside-50 and his significant goalkicking tally despite playing for a poorly performing team. In round 20, Lynch kicked four goals to bring himself to equal leading position in the Coleman Medal race with three-time winner Lance Franklin. Five goals over the final three matches of the season saw Lynch slip from that position, leading the club but finishing third in the league for total goals kicked that season with 66. At season's end he would receive his second successive Gold Coast Suns Club Champion award and was named to the All-Australian team in the forward pocket position. He again ranked number one in the league for contested marks that season.
2017 season