Australian Football

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Key Facts

Full name
Alastair Graeme Lynch

Known as
Alastair Lynch

Born
19 June 1968 (age 55)

Place of birth
Burnie, TAS (7320)

Age at first & last AFL game
First game: 19y 302d
Last game: 36y 98d

Height and weight
Height: 193 cm
Weight: 97 kg

Senior clubs
Fitzroy; Brisbane

Jumper numbers
Fitzroy: 11
Brisbane: 11

Recruited from
Hobart (1988); Fitzroy (1994)

State of origin
TAS

Alastair Lynch

ClubLeagueCareer spanGamesGoalsAvgWin %AKIAHBAMKBV
FitzroyV/AFL1988-19931201731.4437%9.222.884.7317
BrisbaneAFL1994-20041864602.4763%7.562.334.5926
V/AFL1988-20043066332.0753%8.212.554.6543
Total1988-20043066332.0753%8.212.554.6543

AFL: 9,933rd player to appear, 77th most games played, 30th most goals kickedFitzroy: 1,059th player to appear, 80th most games played, 24th most goals kickedBrisbane: 127th player to appear, 23rd most games played, 3rd most goals kicked

Born in Burnie and raised in Wynyard in north-western Tasmania, Alasdair Lynch was selected at pick 50 from the Hobart Football Club in the 1986 VFL Draft (the first national draft), and began his senior football career at Fitzroy in 1988 under coach David Parkin. From those humble beginnings Lynch went on to become one of the most consistent and dominating key position 'book-end' players of his time. Alternatively a forward and full back at Fitzroy, where he often took on and beat the likes of Lockett, Dunstall, and Ablett, to a power forward at Brisbane, Lynch was also one of the game's most versatile footballers. 

In 1994, he transferred to Brisbane on a lucrative long term deal (initially offered to Jason Dunstall), but notwithstanding some standout performances, failed to do himself justice in those first seasons north, hampered by injury and illness. In 1995 he defied a career-threatening illness, later diagnosed as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, to become an inspiration to the thousands of people with CFS in Australia. 

Not only did he return to playing football at the elite level after missing all but one game in 1995, but he took his game to a new level and played some of his best football as the oldest player in the competition in his later years. Sharing the captaincy (with Michael Voss) between 1997 and 2000, and then starring in Brisbane's historic 2001 Grand Final defeat of Essendon, Lynch's fightback from his bedridden condition was testimony to his determination and courage. 

A quick lead, Lynch was also one of the AFL's finest exponents of the contested mark. In his later years his kicking for goal also improved and by the end of his career he had snared 663 goals in 306 games over 17 seasons. He continued to perform with distinction throughout Brisbane's ultimately successful quest for a trifecta of premiership honours between 2001 and 2003, and only in his final league season of 2004 were there any real signs that the rigours of the game were becoming a tad too much for his aging body.

Just two years after his retirement as a player, Alastair Lynch was inducted as a legend into the official Tasmanian Football Hall of Fame.

Author - John Devaney and Adam Cardosi

Sources

Full Points Footy Publications

Footnotes

* Behinds calculated from the 1965 season on.
+ Score at the end of extra time.