Ten-goal hero Tom Lynch say his life was saved by his mum IN the wake of Tom Lynch's sensational 10-goal haul against Greater Western Sydney on Sunday, Crows coach Brenton Sanderson described the 22-year-old as one of the great football stories. Sanderson didn't elaborate on why and further prodding of Lynch at a post-match press conference didn't elicit any great revelations. But a bit of digging into Lynch's past has revealed he nearly died of a brain clot caused by a freak accident on a golf course when he was in his early teens. Lynch was playing at Sandringham Golf Club when one of his mates bladed a shot from the bunker and struck him in the side of the head. The blow shook Lynch but he finished the round. Later that night while watching TV he passed out. "They called mum and she came and took me to hospital, where I underwent brain surgery and they removed a massive blood clot," Lynch told the Herald Sun in 2007. If mum had taken me home and put me to bed, I wouldn't have woken up. I would have died overnight. It all happened so fast, but I was able to make a complete recovery and returned to playing late in the season. I'm very lucky. It was the first of a series of setbacks in the Haileybury College student's career, which included a knee reconstruction at 16. He was taken with the 13th pick in the 2008 draft by a powerhouse St Kilda side, kickstarting a frustrating few years. Lynch broke his hand in 2010 and after finally making his debut, against Essendon in round 18 that season, was taken to the cleaners by Dustin Fletcher and didn't feature again. His next call-up came in round 10, 2011, against Fremantle but a dislocated finger ruined his night and forced him out of the team. Despite putting up several 30-plus possession games as a rebounding defender with Sandringham in the VFL, Lynch was only ever seen as a replacement for Nick Riewoldt and Justin Koschitzke at Moorabbin and he found himself on the trade block at the end of 2011 after just six games for the Saints. Lynch's Adelaide career began brightly, he played the first three games last season before being dropped after a defeat against Hawthorn. He'd play just three more times - each time getting dropped the next week - for the rest of the season. Lynch appeared headed for another year spending the bulk of his time in the SANFL with Glenelg - where he has been a consistently good performer - before earning a reprieve against the Western Bulldogs in round four. He played well, tallying 19 disposals and his position became even more secure when Taylor Walker injured his knee the following week against Carlton. Now, after becoming just the third Crow to kick 10 goals in a game, Lynch looks to have found a home in Adelaide's forward line. "I know he'll get a lot of press this week and he does deserve it because he's done it the hard way," Sanderson said. He has really fought hard to get in this side . . . now his confidence is up and we're seeing the best of him. Not many guys have kicked 10 in a game and he's one of those guys now.