Tom Lynch and premierships are synonymous.

The Blairgowrie local, who played his junior football at Sorrento, was always used to winning ways.

"I think we went a couple of years without losing a game," Lynch said of his junior career, on the latest episode of Konversations with Konrad.

So, when it came time to join Richmond at the start of the 2019 season, it was almost destiny that a flag was in Lynch's sight.

And a premiership was the last memory Lynch had before being drafted at the end of 2010 to the Gold Coast Suns.

"Growing up I was a mad Collingwood supporter," Lynch revealed.

"When I got to the end of my Under 18s, my draft year, Collingwood played in the Grand Final in 2010. My uncle said to me, 'this is the last time you're going to go for them, because you'll hate them like the rest of us'. He was envisioning me getting drafted.

"The last day I went for Collingwood, we won the premiership."

Weeks after that, triumphant as a teenaged fan, Lynch was whisked off to the Suns in the 2010 AFL Draft, joining now-Richmond premiership teammates Dion Prestia as the new kids and team on the block.

It was a shock to the system, after Lynch took his time in the Under 18 competition with the Dandenong Stingrays.

"I didn't know what an AFL looked like or felt like. We didn't know any different. We were all virtually the same age and no one was really from there (Gold Coast)," Lynch said.

"We bonded really well, we were like each other's family, lived all together.

"You look back, we were in portables, the gym was a shed, had no aircon, in the middle of summer on the Gold Coast. But I loved my time up there."

He would go on to play 131 games, kick 254 goals and win two Suns' best and fairest awards.

During the 2018 season, Lynch made the tough call to explore options for a move home.

"It wasn't until half way through the year, I ended up hurting my knee and I was going in for surgery. The Club (Gold Coast) was really pushing me for an answer (on my future). I ended up sitting down, we decided I wanted to leave Gold Coast," he said.

"I went round to Stewie Dew's (former Suns' coach) house one night and let him know."

The hunt was quickly on for a Club in his home state, with little time to make a decision.

"I flew down to Melbourne for surgery. That's when I spoke to Hawthorn, Collingwood and Richmond. I hadn't spoken to anyone before that," Lynch said

"Out of the three, Richmond was definitely number one that I wanted to go to. I felt like Richmond was the best fit out of all of them. I didn't want to get my hopes up too quickly, until a deal was done."

The deal certainly got done, with Lynch thrown into a debut in Round 1 of the 2019 season, kicking three goals in a win over Carlton, in front of 85,000 at the MCG.

"It was incredible," Lynch said.

"Driving everyday you see the MCG and you're training next to it. We're so fortunate to be where we are and have the MCG as our home ground."

For Lynch, who is now 31-years-old, he felt right at home at Tigerland, well before his first season in the yellow and black.

"If you asked Tig (Nick Vlastuin), it would be that Port Adelaide game (Round 4, 2019), when Bruce McAvaney said, 'he's a Tiger now, Tiger Tom'. He still carries on," Lynch said.

"Jack Riewoldt was so welcoming. Coming in as another key forward and how welcoming Jack was, was amazing for me.

"We were in Gold Coast for a camp and I did one drill, then went back to the side, because I had to finish my (rehab) running. The whole group ran over and got around me and jumped on me. It was embarrassing, but it was so nice, (that they) care.

"That moment, I felt very welcomed."

While his time at Richmond began on the ultimate high, winning back-to-back flags in 2019 and 2020, the most recent few seasons haven't been as easy.

With injuries sidelining the veteran for large chunks of the past few seasons, it's simple to think that football may have mentally worn him down.

But, that suggestion is the furthest from the truth.

"It's been challenging. Not being able to to get out there and help the team," Lynch said.

"I couldn't get out on a footy field. People are going through so much worse. That's the biggest thing I was trying to focus on, being grateful."

Join Konrad Marshall for Konversations with Konrad, as he sits down with key figures at the Club to tell their untold stories. AFLW Coach Ryan Ferguson is the next special guest.