WHOLE PUNCH
Teammates give Suns star the green light on aggression despite a looming ban
TOM Lynch has been urged to continue his hard-hitting ways despite the threat of an AFL suspension hanging over the head of the Suns co-captain.
Lynch has accepted a $1500 fine for wrestling Bulldogs Jack Redpath, who received a one match ban and $1000 sanction for striking and wrestling the Suns forward on Saturday.
It is Lynch’s second wrestling offence and another will mean he misses a game, something Gold Coast cannot afford given the likes of Gary Ablett, fellow co-captain Steven May, Rory Thompson and Jarryd Lyons are all battling injury.
Lynch’s physicality is so highly respected within the walls of the club that Gold Coast leader Touk Miller said it was encouraged in reviews and they would continue to encourage it.
“You could say he does have to be a bit careful but we love his passion,” Miller said.
“He is actually doing it not because he is angry at himself, but he has got a bit of passion for the team and doesn’t like losing so it’s that competitive edge that he brings.
“It comes up for him in reviews as a positive that he is showing a bit of fight for his jumper and we respect that highly.”
For so long the Suns have been labelled the nice guys and Miller called on the rest of the list to bring the same fire.
“We talk every year that we want blokes to be a bit aggressive,” Miller said.
“We get labelled as a bit of a nice club a bit too often and we are really trying to shake that off and that only comes out on the field so we really have to get a bit more white line fever about ourselves and bring it to other teams.”
Criticism levelled towards Gold Coast has surrounded the lack of growth from some their now five to seven-year players who have failed to reach the heights at which many had them pegged.
Miller has been a regular contributor in this third year for the Suns but admitted even he hadn’t enjoyed the 2017 he had hoped for.
The 21-year-old said he was wary of ensuring he didn’t become another hope that fades for the Suns.
“I probably haven’t had the year I wanted to have,” he said.
“I have had a solid year in context to my last two but I probably didn’t exceed the expectations I had which are pretty high.
“If you want to be the player you want to be then you have to have high expectations.”