'Cheap shot': Tiger forward faces scrutiny for stomach punchBy Jon Pierik
The Age
August 18, 2020 Richmond forward Tom Lynch faces scrutiny for an off-the-ball "cheap shot" on Suns opponent Sam Collins after the Tigers continued their push for a top-four berth with a 21-point win over Gold Coast on Monday night.
Footage behind the play at the Gabba appeared to show Lynch, the former Suns captain, whacking Collins in the stomach before dashing off on a lead where he marked and converted a goal that iced a hard-fought win.
Collins then remonstrated with Lynch while Suns skipper Jarrod Witts also got involved. Collins appeared to still be angry with the chain of events in the dressing room after the match.
The incident will be assessed by the match review officer before the Tigers' Dreamtime clash against Essendon in Darwin on Saturday.
Tigers coach Damien Hardwick said he wanted Lynch - and his entire team - to play in an aggressive manner.
"You give some, you take some. It's a reality of the nature of the game. It's a competitive sport. We want our guys to play aggressive, assertive footy, that's how they play," he said.
"We don't want them to go over the line, but sometimes they will, which is unfortunate. I like our guys to play assertive, aggressive footy. If the backs (defenders) are there around them, they will go through them."
However, St Kilda great Nick Riewoldt later described the whack as a "cheap shot".
"That play we saw, Tom Lynch went on and kicked a goal. He (Collins) clearly didn't like the treatment and that Tom Lynch got on the end of it and kicked the goal," he said on Fox Footy.
"The precedent is there. Players are going to continue to do it because the whack (punishment) is not big enough. It is a cheap shot because you are not expecting that as a player."
Tigers veteran Jack Riewoldt said Lynch was at his best when playing angry.
"I think that is by design. I feel he plays his best footy when he is on the edge. He is pretty scary ... we know he plays his best footy when he is aggressive in the contest and sometimes there has to be a little bit of this to get him up and going," he said.
"It's just understanding what makes you as a player. I feel he had a really big impact in the back half of the game."
The win leaves the Tigers only two points outside the top four with six rounds remaining. They had 25 more inside 50s than the Suns, but could not breakaway until the final term. Skipper Trent Cotchin returned from a game off and was superb, finishing with 26 disposals, including 15 contested.
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