Alastair Lynch

Alastair Lynch is a retired Aussie Rules Footballer who played in the AFL up until late 2004. He is best known as a three-time premiership, full-forward for the Brisbane Lions .

FITZROY LIONS

Lynch began his senior football career at Fitzroy in 1988. He was selected at pick 50 from the Hobart Football Club in the 1986 VFL Draft. Playing full-back and centre half-back, he was an intimidating player in defence. In his early years, his notable abilities were his strong marking and heavy tackling. The Tasmanian began his career in defence, where he became leading goal-kicker for Fitzroy FC. He represented his home state at the elite level.

Alastair was at the peak of his career in 1993 wen he was aknowledged as one of the league’s best, with All Australian status. However, he left a Fitzroy to become a prize recruit for the Brisbane Bears. Rejoined with his former team mates, he became club captain after the merger of his former club Fitzroy and new club Brisbane.
A long battle with chronic fatigue syndrome threatened his career. However, after many years, Lynch’s return to form at a relatively late age in his career was hailed by the football community. He then became part of Brisbane Lions’ celebrated premiership winning formula.

BRISBANE BEARS

In 1994, Lynch transferred to the Brisbane Bears. At the time, the Brisbane Bears, were experiencing lean times. But, they were improving somewhat under the coaching of premiership coach Robert Walls. The term of Lynch’s contract, ten years, was unprecedented at the time. It was considered by outsiders to be a great risk for the club. Lynch came full of promise to the Bears. In the early years, he became a poster-boy recruit for the struggling club, which lacked big name players.
Early in the 1994 AFL season, Lynch had suffered a broken collarbone and knee surgery, and was unable deliver his best. The following season, Lynch returned but the Bears were struggling for forward-line talent. This was when they first experimented playing Lynch up forward, to relieve an ageing Roger Merrett. And with some success. Successive seasons saw him interchanged between the two opposite ends of the ground.

BRISBANE LIONS

Fitzroy merged with the Bears after the 1996 season to form the Brisbane Lions, Lynch was made a semi-permanent forward. Although he was unable to perform at his peak for the next two seasons his illness.
Lynch was appointed as club co-captain with Michael Voss in 1997. A position that he held until 2000, when Voss assumed the full captaincy.
In 1998, Lynch was still struggling with intermittent lapses of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. To then discover that the drug he had been prescribed had been added to the IOC list of banned substances. Although he already had the permission of the Australian Sports Drug Agency, he took it upon himself to alert the AFL. Resulting in being controversially charged for taking a prohibited substance before eventually being cleared. In the 2004 AFL Grand Final after Brisbane’s loss Alastair announced his retirement. It was viewed by some as a disappointing end to his career as he injured his quad early in the game.

POST VFL/AFL CAREER

Lynch is now enjoying his football retirement, He is a commentator for Fox Footy and also a panelist on Bounce with Jason Dunstall, Danny Frawley and Andrew Gaze. He has also been appointed head of a new company, Healthy Business, that works alongside Nyrstar. Lynch recently made an appearance at the 104th Smelters Picnic, a show in Port Pirie, representing Healthy Business. He has also co-written a book with Peter Blucher titled, “Taking Nothing For Granted”, which was released in 2005.

Lynch is a Tasmanian football legend, a favourite son at both Fitzroy and Brisbane clubs, and holds the record for the most combined goals for the merged entity and one of the last remaining former Fitzroy players to play in the AFL.He will be remembered as a player who overcame great adversity to become one of the premier players with one of the greatest teams the game of Australian rules football has seen.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:

• Mark of the Year 1989
• All Australian 1993
• Fitzroy Best and Fairest 1993
• Fitzroy Leading Goalkicker 1993
• Brisbane Bears Leading Goalkicker 1996
• Brisbane Lions Premiership player 2001, 2002, 2003
• Brisbane Lions Leading Goalkicker 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003