Alastair Lynch
A versatile key-position player who became the rock-solid full-forward for the Brisbane Lions' historic three-peat AFL dynasty.
Born 1968 (age 58)·Australian rules footballer, born 1968·Birthday: June 19·Generation X
Biography
Alastair Lynch played 306 games across two clubs and two positions, finishing with three consecutive AFL premierships from 2001 to 2003. He started as an athletic centre-half back for the Fitzroy Lions, earning All-Australian honours. A bout of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in the mid-1990s nearly ended his career, but he recovered. When he moved to the newly merged Brisbane Lions in 1996, coach Leigh Matthews shifted him to full-forward. Lynch became the anchor of Brisbane's attack, using his strength, reliable hands, and composed goal-kicking. He partnered with spearhead Jonathan Brown to give the Lions a formidable forward structure. Lynch's adaptability and toughness were central to Brisbane's dynasty. He secured his legacy as a player who succeeded in two very different roles.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Alastair was born in 1968, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Alastair Was Born
The biggest hits of 1968
#1 Movie
2001: A Space Odyssey
Best Picture
Oliver!
#1 TV Show
The Andy Griffith Show
Alastair's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1968Born
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1973Started school
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1981Became a teenager
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1984Could drive
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1986Could vote
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1989Turned 21
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1998Turned 30
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 40
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 50
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 58 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won three consecutive AFL premierships with the Brisbane Lions in 2001, 2002, and 2003.
- Played 306 AFL games across his career with Fitzroy and the Brisbane Lions.
- Kicked 633 career goals, including a personal best of 77 goals in the 2003 season.
- Was an All-Australian team selection in 1993 as a centre-half back for Fitzroy.
Did You Know?
He originally played as a defender and was selected in the 1993 All-Australian team in that position.
Lynch holds the record for the most games played in state-of-origin football for Tasmania (11).
He is a qualified doctor, having studied medicine at the University of Tasmania.
He was involved in a famous on-field brawl with Essendon's Michael Long during the 2004 AFL Grand Final.
“I had to change my game completely to survive, from a defender to a forward.”
