Richmond forward Tom Lynch has been suspended for five matches for a strike described by the AFL as a throwback to a “bygone era”.
The 32-year-old’s ban is the longest this season, eclipsing the four-game stretch handed to Hawthorn’s Conor Nash in April for striking.
Lynch failed to convince the AFL tribunal on Tuesday night to reduce the grading of the impact of his blow, which felled Adelaide’s Jordon Butts on Saturday at the MCG.
Lynch’s strike was graded as severe impact, intentional conduct and high contact by the AFL’s match review officer Michael Christian.
The dual premiership player’s counsel Sam Tovey argued the impact should have been graded as medium or high, while accepting the other gradings.
“I contested the mark, felt like Butts was holding on to me … I swung my arm around to get him off me,” Lynch told the tribunal.
“Absolutely I got it wrong and it was the wrong thing to do.”
Lynch denied hitting Butts with a clenched right fist as he can’t fully bend the middle finger on that hand since the middle knuckle was fused in a 2020 operation.
“I can’t bend my middle finger so I can’t fully form a clenched fist,” he said.
“It was more a swipe to get him off me.”
Lynch apologised to Butts post-game.
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“I walked over, shook his hand, and apologised and wished him all the best for the season,” he said.
“I got it wrong. I told him that he certainly beat me today and he seemed fine.”
The AFL’s counsel Nick Pane KC said Lynch’s strike was “the type of action from a bygone era”.
“There is no place for it in our game,” Pane said.
It was largely irrelevant whether Lynch’s right hand formed a clenched fist, was partially clenched, or cupped, he said.
“In any event … when it’s delivered with significant force, it has the potential to cause injury,” Pane said.
“It’s more good luck than good management that flusher contact wasn’t made and that injury wasn’t sustained.”
Despite Butts continuing to play unhurt, Pane called for a five-game suspension.
But Lynch’s counsel Tovey argued the strike should have been graded as medium impact, resulting in a two-match ban.
“The worst that could have happened, largely did happen,” Tovey said.
After an 80-minute hearing, tribunal chairman Jeff Gleeson KC and panel members David Neitz and Jordan Bannister deliberated for about 50 minutes.
“This was what we regard as a serious intentional action with the potential to cause serious injury,” Gleeson said.
“When we consider the totality of the matters, including the fact that Lynch clearly formed an intent to strike Butts … we find that a significant sanction is warranted.”
Separately, Lynch accepted a $1,000 fine for striking Butts in a separate second-term clash.
He also accepted a $1,875 fine for engaging in a melee from an incident in the first quarter also involving Butts.
Butts was also charged with engaging in a melee from the first-term incident but has challenged his fine via written submission, with a verdict expected on Wednesday.
AAP
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