To gain an appreciation for the evolution of Quinten Lynch it is necessary only to compare the crowd reaction.

About 18 months ago he drew gasps and jeers every time he approached the football. Confidence was low, he struggled to hold on to his marks and his body language was anything but positive.

Fast forward to the Quinten Lynch circa 2006 and it is a vastly different story. One bloke takes a placard to Subiaco Oval imploring Lynch to throw his glove. And invariably when he does take a mark, or receive a free kick, he does just that. The crowd loves it.

The oft-maligned Lynch has made strong progress in the last season and a half, but none of it  purely  by  chance.  They  say  there is no substitute for hard work and Lynch is testimony to the adage, to such an extent that he not only earned the opportunity to become a premiership player, he was an integral part of the triumph.

While the man dubbed the ‘Big Unit’ made a slow start to the season, his first six matches yielding just five goals, he proved to be an integral part of the ultimate success. After that indifferent start, Lynch  kicked  60  goals at a healthy average of three goals  a  game and developed into a reliable marking target.

Before every match, balls were pounded at him from close range to sharpen his marking skills. At the end of every training session he led hard out of the square with, more often than not, Michael Braun pin-pointing the ball to the charging forward.

He would then work on his routine and his conversion rate. Lynch has always been able to propel the ball over prodigious  distances, but occasionally the direction was a little askew.

The result of that attention to detail  was that Lynch won the club’s leading goal-kicker award and cemented his position as the full- forward.

He missed the 2005 grand final, the result of sliding form which was compounded by a groin injury. It was a remarkable  transformation for Lynch and a key element in the club’s success. His 65 goals represented the highest tally since Scott Cummings won the Coleman Medal with 96 goals in 1999.

He imposed himself on games and, when pushed out to centre half-forward, was also damaging. His capacity to kick deep to the square frequently put the opposition defence under extreme pressure.

“I am very happy with the improvement in my game, the way the year went and finished off with a grand final victory so I am very happy,” he enthused.

“It was definitely what I was looking for this year, greater consistency and to kick 65 goals was pretty satisfying because I had a slow start and only kicked five goals in the first six rounds.

“To finish up with 65, I am very happy with that and hopefully next year I can kick a few more than that.

“I put my head down this year, practised on my deficiencies, with my marking and my kicking accuracy, and it all came together at the right time.

“Crowds can be fickle. One moment they can be jumping on you for doing the wrong thing and the next minute they all love you. I think it’s good for them to get involved in the game and, as long as I keep doing the right thing, hopefully they will keep backing me in.

“The glove has amazed me. You would think I was the first bloke to wear one, but with me throwing it off they have all taken to that a bit. I wear the glove because I feel it gives me a bit of an edge in taking marks and I throw it off because I think I can get a better feel of the ball as I am about to take a set shot. If the crowd enjoys it, so be it.

“I probably started wearing the glove, on and off, five or six years ago. I never used to feel comfortable wearing the glove all the time. I’d wear it when it was a bit wet, but these gloves are imported from Ironclad in the US and they are very good.”

Lynch has always attacked the ball hard, perhaps too hard a couple of years ago, when he struggled to hold his marks, but he is testimony to the fact that getting an AFL opportunity is one thing, making the most of it is quite another.

“It’s hard to explain the emotion after the game,” he said. “Just pure happiness  and joy, especially for me. A lot has been  said about  missing  out  last  year,  but  that  was insignificant. Just to be out there was amazing and a one point victory is almost unheard of.

“It took a long time to sink in. Walking around the ground on our lap of honour, I was in sheer shock really.

“Last year I was struggling with my groin a bit and it probably did affect my form. There are always unlucky players and there are a couple of blokes this year that you feel for a bit, like Jaymie Graham, Stakes and Matty Rosa, who didn’t get a crack. Every year there’s a  sad story and last year it was me.

“No one can ever take this away from me and I will be happy to come back for the start of the pre-season and see my name on the locker.”