Within the confines of Metricon Stadium, forward Tom Lynch is rated as one of the most important players to pull on the SUNS guernsey each week.
While he doesn’t generate the same level of fanfare in the football-obsessed states of Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia, the 2015 SUNS Club Champion is finally starting to grab the attention of Melbourne journalists.
In tough conditions on Sunday at Burpengary for the SUNS’ opening NAB Challenge game, Lynch was the standout forward on the ground, plucking six marks (five inside 50) and booting 3.2 to lead Gold Coast to a scrappy 25-point win over Brisbane.
READ: Lynch leads SUNS to victory
Former Western Bulldogs and Richmond coach Terry Wallace made note of the star power Lynch holds speaking on SEN Radio.
“I think he is going to be a star player and could be one of the absolute key position players of the competition over the next 12 to 18 months,” he said.
“He’s a leader, big and strong, competes in all areas of the game but has one issues and only one issues, his kicking skills are not absolutely brilliant.
“Every other area of his game is outstanding.”
The Herald Sun’s Jon Ralph was also full of praise for the 23-year-old speaking on SEN’s Hungry for Sport.
“He is going to be a mega star,” Ralph said.
“He’ll probably be the captain of that footy club next year and I think by the end of this season he can be one of the top five forwards in the game.”
Former Brisbane Lions star Jonathan Brown also chimed in, saying Lynch was in the top bracket of young key forwards in the game.
“Players the calibre of Tom Lynch don’t grow on trees,” Brown told the Gold Coast Bulletin.
“There has been a lot of talk about Jesse Hogan in Melbourne but Tom Lynch is right up there in the upper echelon of young key forwards coming through.”
