RICHMOND star Alex Rance says he doesn’t believe the Tigers should be “upsetting the apple cart to chase the big fish” of Gold Coast forward Tom Lynch.

Lynch, a restricted free agent, could be on track to earn as much as $1.3 million per season over five or more years when he signs a new deal for 2019 and beyond.

While Gold Coast may be able to pay plenty for him, Victorian clubs believe they are strong chances to bring Lynch home. Foxfooty.com.au’s Tom Morris reported on Monday that Hawthorn was now the favourite, with Richmond also chasing him aggressively.

But with the Tigers flag favourites and looking to have hit upon an ideal forward structure that features just one tall in Jack Riewoldt, it’s unclear whether Lynch would be as perfect a recruit as many think.

Finals Week 1

Rance, one of Richmond’s best-paid players, told Fox Footy’s On the Couch he didn’t think the club should change what has made them into the reigning premiers just for one recruit.

“I’m really proud of the way our list management has been over the past few years,” Rance said.

Get the ultimate AFL experience on your phone with the new FOX FOOTY App. Download it NOW for FREE on iOS and Android!

“Dusty is the best player in the competition in my opinion, and deserves the dollars he gets. But I don’t necessarily believe that we should be upsetting the apple cart to chase the big fish.

“He’s (Lynch) the big tuna. I’d support it because I wouldn’t have to play on him. You almost have to look at the big picture when it comes to these things; so many clubs will be after him, they’d love to have him.”

When asked if there would be an issue if Lynch became a Tiger, Rance pointed to what changes would need to be made by coach Damien Hardwick.

“Team structure would be an interesting one to throw up,” Rance said.

“I wouldn’t really know what it would look like with him in our side because I’m so happy with the way our structure is.

Tom Lynch celebrates a goal. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images) Source: Getty Images

“He’s a gun, and obviously you want to acquire as many guns in your artillery as possible. It’ll be an interesting situation to see what happens — lucky it’s not my call.”

However the star defender did not think money or any potential change to club culture would matter if Lynch was brought over from the Suns.

“Money is neither here nor there, every club has enough money these days, and we’re lucky enough that we have a good supporter base and are able to pay players what they’re worth. I don’t think it would be an issue,” he said.

“I feel like our culture could overcome any strong personality that could come in, so it wouldn’t matter if it was Tom Lynch or Jack the Ripper. Our culture would be able to deal with that personality.”