DAMIEN Hardwick has backed his Richmond side to continue playing with aggression, following a final-quarter incident that is likely to see Tom Lynch come under scrutiny from the Match Review Officer.
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With his team leading by seven points late in the night against Gold Coast, Lynch appeared to hit Suns' defender Sam Collins in the stomach.
Collins dropped to the ground seconds later and Lynch led out to take a relatively uncontested mark before sealing the win with a goal.
Although Hardwick said he didn't see the incident, the Tigers coach was on board with the aggressive approach from his team as it begins a run to the finals.
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"You give some, you take some," Hardwick said.
"That's the reality of the game, it's a combative sport. We want our guys to play aggressive, assertive footy, that's how they play.
"We don't want them to go over the line, but sometimes they will, which is unfortunate. If their (opposition) backs are there around it, they'll go through them."
Lynch was instrumental in the grinding 21-point win, kicking two of his team's eight goals.
Speaking on ABC Radio post-match, the marquee forward said he didn't have anything to worry about.
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"It was an open hand push-off, that was it," Lynch said.
"He (Collins) was a bit angry about that It was just an open hand to the chest, which as a key forward you want to do."
Despite the victory, Hardwick said there was plenty to work on, with Richmond unable to capitalise on a whopping inside 50 advantage of 54-29.
The Tigers trailed by 10 points at half-time before getting on top around the stoppages after the main break to ease to victory.
"We thought our guys were a little bit flat physically and mentally," he said.
"You dominate three quarters of the game, you should win by more than 20-odd points, so we were a little bit disappointed with how we played in various parts.
"At the end of the day, this time of the season you'll take the four points and bank it."
Gold Coast coach Stuart Dew was delighted with his team's performance, despite losing its fourth straight game.
The Suns led by 11 points early in the third quarter and a simple Hugh Greenwood miss cold have extended it even further.
"We took the game on tonight against a quality footy side," Dew said.
"We didn't want to play safe, we wanted to have a crack through the corridor … we said after the game we love the way the boys are playing.
"All in all, the energy is really good, we're not frustrated, we've got a clear view of how we want to play the game.
"To be in every game lately, and have the fight, the consistency, we want to play a hard-running, exciting game, but there's a finishing element we want to keep working on."
