Richmond forward Tom Lynch has been sent straight to the tribunal for his haymaker at the MCG on Sunday
Richmond star Tom Lynch was fined twice and faces up to five weeks on the sidelines for his MCG tantrum after being sent straight to the tribunal.
Lynch was reported for striking Adelaide defender Jordan Butts off the ball following a contest between the pair during which he made contact with the head of the Crows defender after a wild swing with his arm.
But while the blow glanced off Butts' head, Lynch could still face a hefty ban after being charged with intentional conduct, with severe impact and high contact.
The premiership winner also was handed two fines totalling more than $4600, one for engaging in a melee and another for striking.
Lynch apologised to his teammates and had some sympathy from his coach, Adem Yze, but he was also told there were few excuses for his behaviour.
'He apologised to the group because he knew he let them down just by letting it spill over,' Yze said.
'... he's been such a good player at this footy club for a long time.
'He's got white-line fever, and he wants to win.'
'I was going to address it, a couple of reverse free kicks, which was just pure frustration and showing that he cares,' Yze said.
'For him to talk to the group before I even had a chance to talk to them, and then almost put his heart on his sleeve in front of the group, was exactly why he's been the player that he is.'
Lynch said the incident was the result of 'frustration' after being manhandled by Adelaide defenders in the mammoth loss.
'I didn't want to cause harm or anything like that. I was just trying to get free or whatever and frustration came out,' Lynch told Seven.
'Clearly … I gave away too many free kicks and it is not good enough as a leader. I thought we were playing pretty well in that second quarter and I pretty much stopped the momentum.
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