SUNS ‘UNFAZED’ BY MAGPIES’ PURSUIT OF LYNCH
COLLINGWOOD’S public courting of Tom Lynch is just a fact of AFL life, according to Gold Coast coach Stuart Dew.
The Suns boss says he’s having discussions with Lynch about his future as Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley stakes his claim for the Gold Coast captain.
“That is the environment we’re in,” Dew said.
“So we certainly knew that time would come and we understand he has got the decision to make. Clubs and players need to be well informed.
“We’re not naive to think that these things don’t go on.”
Dew was unfazed at Buckley admitting he met with Lynch “a while back” as the sought-after free agent ponders his future.
“You hear about some and you don’t hear about others,” Dew said.
“Obviously this is high profile. But the free agency situation in the AFL, which isn’t going away, and that is a reality ... we’re accustomed to the fact that meetings will take place.”
AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan said he accepted players would meet with rival clubs but was uncomfortable with details becoming public. “I don’t like it,” he said. “It’s accepted that people meet (but) I don’t know why we need to talk about.
“People say ‘don’t be naive’ and ‘let’s be grown up about it’ but if people are meeting other people in my workplace, I don’t want to know … because people have to evaluate their decisions, they have to have meetings, they have to make decisions, this is their careers and futures.’’