Former Richmond coach Terry Wallace admits he was shocked by the comments made by Tigers defender Alex Rance about potentially recruting star forward Tom Lynch.
Speaking on Fox Footy’s On the Couch, Rance said recruiting a big name like Lynch would be “upsetting the applecart” regarding Richmond’s cohesion that saw them win last years premiership.
Wallace said those comments could put the 26-year-old off from joining the club as he wouldn’t feel wanted, especially coming from a senior figure like Rance.
“It just really surprised me,” he told SEN Afternoons.
“It surprised me a little bit that those senior players wouldn’t want to get a gun to their footy club.
“The flip side to what I want to talk about is if you were Tom Lynch and you have a multitude of clubs clamouring after you, do you want to go to a club where the senior players are not sure whether they want you?
“I think the answer’s no.
“I’m Tom Lynch and for whatever reason I’ve spoken to my manager and said that Richmond’s my number one priority – 90,000 members, MCG and get to play in front of 70,000 fans most times we are there.
“I’d really like to go to Richmond but then I hear back that their senior players don’t necessarily want me there and I have got other options and good options available to myself.
“I think I would be selecting that club.”
The three-time premiership player doesn’t think there would be any problems integrating the Gold Coast Suns’ skipper into their structure.
“It changes the size dynamic so that is a significant shift,” Wallace said.
“But I would think you would be able to marry it in very, very well.
“The way they are playing at the moment and the speed of ball movement, he is going to score a heck of a lot of goals.”
Listen to Terry Wallace's discuss Alex Rance's comments about Tom Lynch in the player below