Look away Richmond fans! Tigers suffer hammer blow as Tom Lynch is set for surgery after injuring the tendon behind his left knee in epic win over Sydney Swans at the MCG
Richmond forward Tom Lynch is set to miss a huge chunk of the AFL season after suffering a significant hamstring injury in Sunday’s five-point win over Sydney.
And the bad news keeps coming for the banged-up Tigers, with Noah Balta expected to be sidelined for three to five weeks with a knee injury.
Lynch, who was restricted to just four games last year because of a foot complaint, is likely to need surgery after injuring the tendon behind his left knee late in the win against the Swans.
The 31-year-old – who won premierships with the club in 2019 and 2020 – planted his leg awkwardly following contact in a marking contest.
He felt immediate discomfort and was replaced.
Richmond forward Tom Lynch is set to miss a large chunk of the AFL season after suffering a ‘long term’ hamstring injury in Sunday’s thrilling win over Sydney
It comes after Lynch was restricted to just four games last year because of a foot complaint
Richmond are yet to put a timeline on Lynch’s return, but say it’s a ‘long term’ injury.
‘It is rotten luck for Tom, who worked extremely diligently to prepare his body for the season after what was a tough season for him last year,’ Richmond’s football performance manager Tim Livingstone said in a statement.
‘Unfortunately for Tom, he landed in a motion that has caused this injury.
‘He will consult a surgeon in the coming days, which will give us a clearer picture of the injuries timeline, but we are expecting he will be out for the longer term.’
Balta felt discomfort in the final seconds of the match, with subsequent scans showing a ‘moderate’ medial collateral ligament injury.
The 24-year-old had made a bright start to the season in his new role in attack.
‘In one of the last contests of the game, Noah unfortunately hurt his knee, and scans have confirmed some damage to his MCL,’ Livingstone said.
‘We will assess him further this week, but we do not expect him to play before the bye.’
The Tigers are still without the likes of Jacob Hopper (knee, three to five weeks), Dion Prestia (hamstring, seven weeks) and Josh Gibcus (knee, season).
Lynch kicked three goals against Sydney, and his extended loss is a huge blow to Richmond’s hopes of making the finals under first-year coach Adem Yze.
The wounded Tigers will be back in action on April 7 when they take on St Kilda in Gather Round.
