GOLD Coast free agent Tom Lynch left the club “frustrated” after he was unwilling to hold a press conference last week following his season-ending knee injury, it has been revealed.

The Suns were keen for Lynch to speak to the media after it was confirmed the in-demand key forward would miss the rest of the year with a PCL injury.

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But instead of holding a press conference, Lynch spoke to club media officials in a video posted directly to the Gold Coast website.

“I know the Suns wanted Tom Lynch to do a press conference after it came out he’d miss the rest of the year with a knee injury. He didn’t want to do a press conference, is my understanding,” Foxfooty.com.au news breaker Tom Morris told the Fox Footy Podcast.

“Instead, they put him in a PR video on the website in which he answered a couple of questions. But it really wasn’t hard hitting, as a press conference would normally be.

“I know that frustrated some hierarchy at the club because they said, ‘You can say whatever you want, Tom. But we need you to face the media and show some transparency.’ He wasn’t keen to do that.”

Morris expects Lynch to have played his last game in Gold Coast colours thanks to the injury.

“I’d be shocked if Tom Lynch was at the Suns next year,” he said.

“I firmly believe Tom Lynch hasn’t formally made up his mind and I don’t think he’s told the club what he wants to do, which has probably made the Suns think, ‘Gee, if he’s not telling us now he’s likely to leave and we’ll prepare for him to go’.”

Morris compared the current Lynch free agency scenario to that of Patrick Dangerfield when he moved from Adelaide to Geelong.

“Clearly they (Gold Coast) want him to stay. But first and foremost they want to know so that they can prepare, just as Adelaide prepared when (Patrick) Dangerfield told them mid-season that he was going,” Morris said.

“Dangerfield’s manager at the time was Paul Connors. Tom Lynch’s manager is Paul Connors.

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“Especially because Tom Lynch won’t play again for Gold Coast this year it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that he could tell them now and there’d be no real backlash from the fans or the club because he’s not going to be wearing the jumper again.

“But reading the history of the free agents that leave and players that leave clubs, it’s no longer enough to assume a player leaving a contract until the end of the year will see that player leave.

“Dustin Martin is a great example. He ended up staying, despite leaving the contract until the end of the year.”

But despite that disclaimer, Morris - and most of the AFL world - expect Lynch to leave.

He named Hawthorn as the current frontrunner for the forward’s services.

“I’ve spoken to some of the players at the club – the club is preparing for him to leave and opposition clubs are adamant that he’s going,” Morris said.

“And this isn’t Hawthorn, Richmond or Collingwood, the clubs that are in for him. These are other clubs that don’t have any investment. They’re just hearing that he’s out.

“All the signs are pointing towards him leaving the Suns. And now the next question is: where does he go?

“I believe Hawthorn is ahead in the race. That doesn’t mean he’s not going to go to Richmond or Collingwood.

“But from what I’ve been told, Hawthorn is in pole position to get him and that’s how it sits at the moment.”

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