Dimma backs aggressive Lynch despite another potential MRO incidentBy Callum Twomey
afl.com.au
23 August 2020RICHMOND has urged Tom Lynch to continue his aggressive approach despite the key forward again likely to find himself under scrutiny from the Match Review Officer for a clash with Essendon's Michael Hurley.
Lynch was fined for two separate incidents in Monday night's clash with Gold Coast, and will be assessed again for his shove to Hurley in the last quarter of Richmond's 12-point win in the Dreamtime in Darwin contest on Saturday night.
The pair were grappling as Lynch initiated a lead but he made contact with his arm to Hurley's throat in a bid to push away from the Bombers defender.
Coach Damien Hardwick vigorously defended Lynch's physicality this week and said he wouldn't be advising caution to the key forward.
"I haven't seen it and at the end of the day, Tom plays. He plays like that. He's a hard, tough player and you saw the courage of him coming out and leading out to that ball late and the collision with [Adam] Saad. [He's a] pretty tough guy," the two-time premiership coach said post-game.
"I've been around footy a long time and I've been very fortunate enough to be at some really good organisations.
"All the good ones run the line all the time. They generally give away the most free kicks and they generally have the most reports, that's why they're a good side."
Lynch kicked two goals against Essendon in the Tigers' hard-fought win in the centerpiece of the AFL's Sir Doug Nicholls Round.
https://www.afl.com.au/news/488724/dimma-backs-aggressive-lynch-despite-another-potential-mro-incident