NATHAN Buckley has no issue with Quinten Lynch's wonky little finger other than to suggest the deformed joint is simply "not pretty to look at".
Channel 7 commentators Matthew Richardson and Luke Darcy suggested during Monday's Collingwood-Melbourne clash that Lynch's bent little finger was affecting the way he dropped the ball onto his boot.
The big forward sprayed several shots against the Demons, eventually kicking 1.3.
Buckley's view that the finger isn't an issue that needs fixing has been supported by leading sports medico Dr Peter Larkins, who says Lynch should wait until the end of his playing days before attempting a surgical solution.
"I would have thought he's better off to adapt to the way it is," Larkins told AFL.com.au.
"Unless he has a further incident where he breaks it, I don't think he should do anything before the end of his career.
"I would have thought superstition would stop them doing anything about it during his playing career simply because there would be an unpredictability of what sort of function he'd get."
Lynch wears a glove that allows his right little finger to be taped to his ring finger as an old injury has allowed the digit to stick out at nearly a right angle from the middle joint.
He takes the specially-made glove off when taking a set shot for goal.
Larkins said it would have started as a "chronically dislocated finger with major ligament damage" that also featured a fracture or bone damage that stopped normal healing.
Lynch's surgical options could include fusing, inserting an artificial joint or even amputation, but all carry risks for him as a footballer.
"If he had an operation to fuse it, he would lose movement, the little he's got," Larkins said.
"If he had an operation to put an artificial joint in, he probably couldn't play at all.
"If he cuts it off, he's going to lose the little tactile sensation he has within in the finger that gives him some degree of awareness of what the hand's doing.
"From an outside point of view, common sense says to me he should just wait until his career is over and then decide if it bothers him enough with playing golf to do something about it rather than doing it during the next year or two of his footy life."
Buckley said Lynch wasn't struggling to find the ball, and conversion in front of goal was something the Magpies needed to improve "across the board".
"My view is much the same as everyone else; it's a really ugly finger, it's not pretty to look," Buckley said.
"But he has played 230 odd games with it and he has played 230 particularly good games for West Coast and now for us and he's a fit unit and he plays his role really well.
"You're never asking for more from him because he gives more than he has got. He is a great role model for his teammates.
"I'd love him to be kicking better - one thing for sure I know isn't going to change is the shape of his finger."
Larkins said there was no reason why Lynch couldn't live with the deformity post-football if he chose to.
