Tigers’ star forward Tom Lynch has spoken candidly about his recent hamstring injury setback, describing it as “frustrating” and admitting that there were moments when he feared his season might be over.
Last month, Lynch underwent surgery after sustaining a serious hamstring injury during a match against Sydney. Scans revealed significant tendon damage behind his left knee, adding to his string of injuries in recent years. This includes multiple hamstring setbacks and limited game time since joining the Tigers in 2019. In the 2023 season alone, Lynch played just four matches due to a foot issue, highlighting the challenges he has faced with injuries.
His latest setback occurred during a promising start to the season, where he managed to kick six goals from three games before being sidelined in the fourth quarter of Richmond’s Round 3 victory over the Swans.
Expressing his frustration on Fox Footy’s AFL 360, Lynch described his recent string of injuries as “highly frustrating” for an AFL footballer eager to play. Reflecting on his foot injury last year that caused him to miss the entire season, Lynch had been hopeful for a strong return this season. However, the setback during the Swans game left him questioning whether his season would once again be compromised.
Despite the setback, Lynch remains optimistic, noting that this year has been more positive overall compared to the previous one. He is determined to make a strong comeback in the second half of the season.
Lynch is just one of several key Richmond players currently sidelined due to injury, including Josh Gibcus, Jack Ross, and Tim Taranto, among others, with varying recovery timelines.
Having resumed running in the past week, Lynch expressed hope for an earlier return to the field than initially projected, aiming for a comeback around the nine to ten-week mark rather than the initially estimated 12 weeks.
“I’ve only been running for a week, so in the next week or two, we’ll have a better understanding of my progress, and hopefully, I can accelerate my recovery,” he stated.
Reflecting on the moment he realized the severity of his injury, Lynch explained, “I’ve had a few hamstring injuries before, but this one felt different. It involved a different tendon inside the knee, which was quite uncommon according to our medical team. Initially, I didn’t realize the extent of the injury until the next morning when it was scanned. I felt a strange sensation, more like a crunch, which isn’t typical for hamstring injuries. When I woke up the next day, I thought I had injured my knee badly, but it turned out to be a hamstring injury requiring surgery.”
