Tiger savours Giant job

TOM Lynch says he won’t be lulled into a false sense of confidence on Saturday despite his own record on Phil Davis and the GWS captain’s injuries.

The Tigers recruit has stunned Richmond insiders to play the 12th most minutes of anyone in the competition and kick 61.31 including five preliminary final goals.

This year as he warmed to the task he kicked 4.1 against Phil Davis and Sam Taylor in Round 3 and three goals from 18 possessions in Round 17.

Davis is adamant he will play after dislocating a finger as well as back spasms and a calf injury.

But after having the better of Lynch last year in the weeks before he had knee surgery (0.0 and five kicks), Davis has his work cut out.

Remarkable chilled after his superb preliminary final display, first-year Tiger Lynch said he was preparing to go head-to-head with Davis.

“They have got some great players down there and I think Nick Haynes has been in super form and Phil Davis, I am expecting him to play,” he said.

“About every time I have met the Giants I have matched up on him and that’s the way I would be looking at it.

“He obviously was a bit sore but I would be a bit foolish to suspect he will be less than 100 per cent on the weekend.”

He is comfortable with the focus being on him leading into the Grand Final but Richmond’s strength is in its multiple forward targets.

In Round 23 Jack Riewoldt cashed in against the Lions with four early goals, before Dustin Martin kicked six in the qualifying final as Lynch dragged Harris Andrews away from the action.

“I feel pretty good moment,” Lynch said.

“It was good to play in a preat the liminary final. 94,000 at the MCG - it doesn’t get much better than that.

“As a forward group we know some players will bob up with goals and others will have quieter games but we value role players.

“Dusty got on the end the week before and Jack’s goal output was down but we thought he had a massive impact on the game.”

On the day Gold Coast had its priority pick decided upon by the AFL Commission, exSuns captain Lynch said he was confident his former team was as well-placed as at any time in its history.

But with as photos of exSuns Lynch, Josh Caddy and Dion Prestia in their formative years do the rounds, it is another reminder of what the club has lost.

“I suppose we have taken different roads to get here and it was pretty fun on the weekend,” he said.