North Melbourne has appointed Tom Lynch as VFL head coach for the 2023 campaign.
Lynch landed at Arden Street as a development coach earlier this year but was later elevated to the role of caretaker VFL coach after Leigh Adams was called upon to take the reins of the senior side from Round 18 onwards. Lynch will step into the VFL head coach role permanently as Adams takes up an assistant coaching position with the club’s AFL side.
He played 164 games and kicked 203 goals across his playing career for St Kilda and Adelaide before taking up the opportunity with the Kangaroos.
Lynch said that he's extremely thankful for the chance to lead the reserves through 2023.
"I'm incredibly humbled, that the club have given me this opportunity, especially with such an exciting and talented young group," Lynch told North Media.
"I'm just super excited to get stuck into it and start helping us move in the direction we want to go in."
Lynch gained some valuable head coaching experience towards the backend of 2022 and acknowledged the effect Adams had on the VFL system before he jumped into the position.
"Leigh Adams did an amazing job of setting up the program over the last few years," Lynch said.
"Players wanting to come here to play under him has been really good for the club."
As a player, Lynch had plenty of standout moments throughout his 12-and-a-half seasons and can now draw from those experiences as a coach set for his first full season.
"Hopefully I can lean on a fair chunk of what I've learned as a player and the coaches that I've played under which will bring different qualities," Lynch said.
"We're in a really exciting time with the new AFL coach Alastair Clarkson, so just to be able to sit and learn from him and hopefully play a similar style to the AFL boys is going to be a really good experience."
Although it's still early days, Lynch has already set out some objectives that he will look to prioritise when he returns for the next season.
"We're going to really look to make sure we get the best out of our players but at the same time play exactly the same way that the AFL boys are going to be looking to play," Lynch stated.
"If we can have a mirror image of what they do in the AFL system in the VFL it's really going to set our AFL-listed boys up to have successful games when they go into the (AFL) side and feel comfortable when they come back.
"At the same time, we're going to look to maximise potential and help our VFL-listed players reach their goals and aspirations, and to set an environment and program where they can flourish.
"We're really excited about making it a real one-club feel and that’s something we've already started taking steps towards."
Lynch also touched on the importance of having a rest but is still keen on seeing what the players will bring to their first few official training sessions.
"What I'm most excited about is the players' appetite to get stuck into pre-season and stuck into work - the guys have been seeking out a fair bit of training and have been doing a far bit of training together," he said.
"I'm really looking forward to starting back whenever that may be, we certainly need a break to refresh and get ourselves ready again, but at the moment we're just looking towards the summer and giving the guys the best chance to get themselves ready."
