LYNCH NEEDS IMPROVEMENT TO EXTEND STAY
SUNS skipper Tom Lynch has one foot out the door and only a major turnaround would convince him to stay on the Gold Coast beyond his current deal.
Lynch has told confidantes he will return to Victoria and a club that has a chance of success at the end of next year if the Suns don’t get their coaching appointment right and begin to show immediate improvement.
Gold Coast CEO Mark Evans admits the club has a fight on its hands to convince Lynch the future is bright.
However he said he would be more worried if the co-captain wasn’t a restricted free-agent only next year which ensures the Suns have the right to match any offer from rival clubs.
There had been speculation he would attempt to break his contract this offseason but that has been refuted by his manager Robbie D’Orazio who guaranteed he would be there in 2018.
Although D’Orazio delivered a softer ultimatum to what the Suns are hearing in private, he made no secret of the fact Lynch will consider his future when speaking on trade radio yesterday.
“Tom is a competitive beast and wants to win games,” he said.
“He’ll step back and take a look at the new coach, the assistants, and also look at what sort of player they go for in the draft, and they have pick two this year.
“Without putting a time frame on it, I’m sure by midway through next year, if they’re 0-11 but they’re competing, that might be OK.
“But if they’re 0-11 and getting smashed then we’ll wait and see.”