DARREN MONCRIEFF
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
TWO years after being cut from the Western Bulldogs, Malcolm Lynch could make a return to AFL ranks after finding his feet as a midfielder for Port Melbourne.
Having seemingly got his body in order after injury prevented him making any meaningful contribution to the Bulldogs over three years, the Tiwi Islander is enjoying a stellar season at the Borough in the VFL. So much so, he is being touted as the frontrunner for the league's Liston Trophy.
Lynch (pictured) says 'enjoying footy' is the reason behind his return to good form.
The 23-year-old is in his second season with Port Melbourne.
"I think last year I was very adamant and wanting to get back into the AFL," Lynch said this week. "But I think this year, I haven't really made it my focus but I've just got back to enjoying my footy and I think that's helped.
"I've just gone back to the basics and enjoying my footy and it's definitely showing and obviously as a team we're going well so hopefully that can continue.
"I know I've got plenty to offer in terms of playing at AFL level. I'm not going to be too stressed out in terms of whether it's going to happen or not. I think I just need to focus on how I play footy and I guess it will handle itself. I'm pretty optimistic in terms of my approach this year and we'll see where it takes me."
Lynch was a skinny teenager when the Bulldogs picked him at number 66 overall in the 2006 AFL national draft. He managed to play two just two games in three seasons following bouts of recurring injury. One of those games, his debut, was at Marrara Oval in Darwin against Fremantle.
He landed at Whitten Oval via the NSW/ACT Rams after boarding at St Ignatius College in Sydney from the Northern Territory.
Lynch was part of the Flying Boomerangs, the under-16 Indigenous youth football team which plays in international matches, in 2006 when they played a series of matches against South Africa's Buffaloes in South Africa. He is now a mentor to the Boomerangs, such is his leadership qualities.
Lynch has been working with the AFL Foundation and the Qantas KickStart indigenous program.
AboriginalFootball@westnet.com.au
Last Modified on 06/07/2011 15:40