Tom Lynch’s ability to run and continue to work when he is nearing exhaustion is what makes him the player that he is, according to Gold Coast SUNS coach Rodney Eade.
 
The 22-year-old has emerged this season as one of the main candidates to take over the captaincy when the time comes for champion Gary Ablett to hand over the baton and anoint the second ever Gold Coast captain.
 
On a tough afternoon at the home of football, Gold Coast’s all-time leading goal kicker continued his rich vein of form with another four-quarter effort chiselled from hard work and an aptitude to grind it out when others don’t, or won’t.
 
A reflective Eade said in his post mortem that Lynch provided a great example through his on-field exploits with his ability to work when fatigued and continue to dig in when the easier option is not to run as hard.
 
“He leads the way. I think he’s got some physical attributes to do that, he’s got a big tank,” Eade told reporters in his post-match press conference on Sunday afternoon.
 
“But I’ve been involved with a lot of players that have got big tanks and they don’t use them. You’ve got to have the want and the desire and the mental application to be able to use that as well as when you’re fatigued.
 
“Some players fall away really quickly, they don’t dig in – across the board, this is the league situation. And they’re the things that frustrate coaches.
 
“But Tom digs in and he runs himself ragged. I think he’s a great example to the other players.”
 
Having kicked five, four and four in his last three outings, an inaccurate Lynch could have collected another bag of five given he missed a pair of chances from set shots inside 40 metres that he should have gobbled up.
 
Whilst the wasted opportunities had no bearing on the result given Richmond’s dominance, Eade explained that Lynch would look to rectify his missed opportunities by fine-tuning his craft on the track this week.
 
“He missed two that you would say were very kickable and he should have kicked those. Knowing what Tom’s like I’d think he’d be dirty on himself and I’d imagine he’d be training his backside off during the week to correct that,” Eade said.
 
Lynch has kicked 16 goals in the last month and is rapidly closing in on the club’s goalkicking record that he set last season with 46 majors. His three goals on Sunday brings him to 37 for the year, and within touching distance of his 2014 breakout campaign.