Think about the Tasmanian division of the Brisbane Lions/Fitzroy “family” and you instinctively think of Alastair Lynch. The goal-kicking colossus has been the club’s strongest link to the Apple Isle for more than 25 years until the arrival of coach Chris Fagan.

The name ‘Lynch’ will be front of mind at the Gabba again this week but not because of Alastair. It will be his uncle.

The Lions will wear black armbands in Thursday night’s Gabba clash with Geelong to mark the passing of Allan Lynch, a 106-game player with Fitzroy from 1959-66.

Cousin of Graeme Lynch, Alastair’s father who died in 2015, he was the 72^nd of 110 players who played 100 games for Fitzroy.

Like Alastair, who wore the #11 jumper in 120 games for Fitzroy and 186 games for Brisbane, he wore #11. Indeed, only the triple premiership forward wore #11 more often for Fitzroy and they were the only Fitzroy players to play 100 games in the jumper now worn by Lincoln McCarthy.

Recruited from Launceston, where he had played in a grand final side in 1957, Allan Lynch was a 191cm utility player who played his best football at fullback and in the ruck, debuting at Fitzroy at 20 and retiring at 28.

A policeman during his time at Fitzroy, he played under three coaches prominent in club history – Len Smith, Kevin Murray and Bill Stephen – in a career that was played out in two parts.

In his first three years under Smith he was a young player in an experienced side that was in the top half of the ladder, playing in the finals in 1960.

In his 24^th game he played the biggest game of his career in the 1960 preliminary final, when the Lions led at every change before going down to Collingwood by five points.

Thereafter he became a more senior figure in a young side that battled for every win.

But one win in 1963, the subject of a booked called ‘Miracle Match’ by noted Melbourne journalist Ken Piesse, was part of Fitzroy folklore.

It was Round 10. Lynch played his 54^th game as a winless Fitzroy pulled off one of the great upsets in AFL history when they beat eventual premiers Geelong 9-13 (67) to 3-13 (31) at Brunswick Street.

In an extraordinary and cruel twist of fate, it was Fitzroy’s only win in the 1963-64 coaching stint of all-time favorite son Kevin Murray. And Murray, only 25 at the time, was absent due to State commitments with the Victorian side in Adelaide and had handed the reins to Reserves coach Wally Clark.

In his 100^th game at 27 under coach Stephen in Round 6 1966 against StKilda at Moorabbin Lynch was the only 100-gamer in a side that boasted an average age of 22-plus and average experience of 31 games.

For the sake of perspective, the Lions side that played in Hobart last weekend included 10 100-gamers, had an average age of 25-plus and average experience of 99 games.

Lynch played under four captains – Alan Gale, Owen Abrahams, Kevin Murray and Ralph Rogerson – and polled nine Brownlow votes in a battling side in 1963-64-65 to rank third, equal fourth and third in club voting.

Lynch, who passed away on 6 June aged 82, is among a raft of notable products of Launceston, a city of 110,000 in northern Tasmania and home of York Park, now known as University of Tasmania Stadium and a regular host of AFL games since 2001.

It is a city that punches well about its weight in terms of prominent citizens.

Among the notable Launceston products are cricketing greats Ricky Ponting and David Boon, former world middleweight boxing champion Daniel Geale, cyclist Richie Porte, motor racing driver Marcus Ambrose, actor Simon Baker, media personality Ray Martin and the founder of Qantas, Sir Wilmot Fysh.

It’s three most famous AFL products, each a member of the Tasmanian Hall of Fame and each with a connection to Queensland football, were 1959 Brownlow Medallist Verdun Howell, John Bingley and Barry Lawrence.

Howell, whose son later played with Sandgate in the old QAFL, and Bingley, who later coached Wilston-Grange in the same competition, were members of St.Kilda’s only premiership side in 1966.

And Lawrence, like Howell a member of the StKilda Team of the Century, is the father of Steven Lawrence, who played 81 AFL games with Brisbane from 1995-2000 before 39 games at StKilda.