Twelve rounds in and Tom Lynch has already had a phenomenal season.

His averages per game speak for themselves; three goals and six marks, 3 of which are taken inside 50. He sits third on the Coleman Medal tally with 39 majors, despite being a game behind Lance Franklin and Josh Kennedy due to the bye round.

His contested marking is nothing short of brilliant, he’s earned himself two Mark of the Year nominations from round eight and 10.

Gold Coast fans have been singing his praises for some time, but in 2016 the rest of the footy world has undeniably caught Lynch fever.

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His secret? It may just be in his ability to back himself, week after week.

“I think at the end of the day you’ve got to back yourself that you can play your best footy and play well,” Lynch told reporters.

“Obviously different opponents you play have different strengths and weaknesses and you have to respect every opponent.”

After resting through the Bye Round last week, the SUNS now prepare to head to Hawthorn’s Tasmanian fortress.

The Hawks haven’t been beaten at Aurora Stadium since round five, 2012, and have the most accurate kicking in the AFL so far this season.

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It’s undoubtedly a challenge for Gold Coast, but one each player is looking forward to.

“They’ve won the last three premierships, they’re one of the greats,” Lynch said.

“We feel like we can really take the second half of the season, obviously we had a disappointing one or two months there where we had some tough losses.

“We’ve got the group back together, we’ve got a number of guys back from injury and we’re really looking forward to taking the second half of the season- it starts with Hawthorn on Sunday.”