Richmond forward Tom Lynch has copped a massive ban for his wild swing at Adelaide’s Jordon Butts at the MCG on Sunday.
Lynch, 32, has been for suspended for five games after the tribunal deliberated for more than hour, and then made the rare move to get final submissions from both parties to help them with the verdict.
The Match Review Officer graded the veteran’s second quarter round-arm haymaker as intentional conduct, severe impact and high contact.
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It followed a frustrating day for Lynch, who had given away five free kicks without getting a disposal in the lead-up to the incident.
He will now miss games against Geelong, Essendon, West Coast, Collingwood and Gold Coast.
Richmond lawyer Sam Tovey had wanted a three-match ban for Lynch and contested the severity of the impact.
Tom Lynch has learned his fate for this hit on Jordon Butts. Credit: Channel 7 Tovey said the impact should be high, not severe, considering Butts was not seriously hurt by the contact.
But AFL counsel Nick Pane said Lynch lashed out with a “closed” hand and it was only a matter of good luck (not good management from Lynch) that Butts wasn’t badly injured.
“It’s a blatant, forceful swinging arm, regardless of whether contact is with a clenched fist, partially clenched fist or the bottom part of Lynch’s hand,” Pane said.
“It was the type of action from a bygone era, which might explain why there are no examples in the AFL guidelines.
“The AFL position is quite simple … there is no place for it in our game.”
After the hearing, tribunal chairman Jeff Gleeson KC said: “This is was what we regard as a serious intentional action with the potential to cause serious injury.
“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.
Star Channel 7 commentators Kane Cornes and Nick Riewoldt were both scathing of Lynch and said it looked like his career was over.
In fact, Cornes said Lynch’s past few years had been a “disaster”.
“He’s played 21 games in the last three years. He’s getting a million dollars a season, so it’s about 142,000 per game,” Cornes said.
“He’s there to be a leader to this young group. So firstly, he hasn’t played. Now, largely that’s his body letting him down, so it’s hard to be critical of that. But then, when he has played this year, there’s 38 players that have kicked more goals than him.
“I compare his performance and his leadership and his body language to (Hawthorn’s) Jack Gunston at a similar stage of their careers, and (Lynch) hasn’t added to the group at all in any positive way.
“I just think it’s it’s been a disaster.”
Lynch played four games in 2023, four in 2024, and has managed 13 this season.
Asked directly if Lynch should continue playing at AFL level, Riewoldt thought not.
“That that level of frustration (he showed against the Crows) is concerning for me,” Riewoldt said.
“If you’re getting to that level of frustration where it boils over (like that, that’s a concern) … I can’t recall ever seeing a player be possessionless and give five free kicks away most of them for off-the-ball incidents in a half a footy before.
“So I think the end is coming.”