Kane Lambert


Kane Lambert is a former professional Australian rules football player who played for the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League. He went undrafted after a junior career with the Northern Knights in the TAC Cup, before a four-year stint at state-league level that included being named in the VFL's team of the year and receiving the league's most improved player award in 2013. Lambert was drafted to Richmond in the 2015 rookie draft and made his debut for the club in round 1 of the 2015 season. He is a triple-premiership player with the club, having played in grand final wins in 2017, 2019 and 2020.

Junior and state-league football

Lambert grew up in Preston, a suburb nine kilometres north of Melbourne.
He played local junior football with the Preston Bullants Junior Football club before playing in representative sides with the Northern Knights in the TAC Cup where he was coached by former AFL premiership coach Denis Pagan. In 2009 Lambert won the club's best and fairest award for a season in which he averaged 25 disposals, five clearances, five tackles and one goal per game. He was overlooked in the AFL national, pre-season and rookie drafts following the 2009 season and subsequently ceased playing football in his first year out of school. He instead spent the year working full-time in a can factory while completing what he later called "a 12-month pre-season" in which he added 10 kg to his slender frame.
Lambert made a return to the sport in 2011, playing at state-league level with the Northern Bullants in the Victorian Football League. He remained at the club through a name change in 2012 when he was selected in a team of the VFL's best players that would represent Victoria in a state-league exhibition match. 2013 proved a break-out year for Lambert, having been again named to represent the state-league during a season in which he kicked 21 goals and averaged 26 disposals per game. As a result, he earned a fourth-placed finish in the J. J. Liston Trophy for the league's best and fairest player, doing so with a total of 16 votes and finishing just one vote behind the eventual three joint-winners. He was also awarded the Fothergill–Round Medal as the competition's most promising young player and was named on the wing in the VFL's official Team of the Year. In addition, Lambert placed fifth in the VFL Coach's Award and received the Laurie Hill Trophy as his club's best and fairest player. He was later invited to that year's national draft combine where he recorded a 13.11 beep test score. Despite his strong season, he again went undrafted to the AFL.
Lambert moved VFL clubs in 2014, crossing to the Williamstown Football Club in a poaching move that saw Williamstown attract criticism by the governing body, AFL Victoria. His season began slowly, with hip arthroscopic surgery limiting his off-season progress and making him wait until round 3 to play his first match for the club. During the year he played a contributing role in the club's Foxtel Cup premiership victory over West Perth. In the finals series Lambert turned in an incredible performance in his side's semi-final victory over, where he recorded 32 disposals, 17 clearances, 15 inside 50s and four goals. He kicked three of those goals in the match's final quarter as part of nine straight unanswered goals by Williamstown. An outstanding back-half of the season including that final saw Lambert again in AFL draft contention, but again missing out on selection in the national and pre-season drafts.

AFL career

2015 season

At age 23, Lambert was drafted to the Australian Football League by with the club's third selection and the 46th pick overall in the 2015 rookie draft in December 2014.
He made his first appearance for Richmond in the club's opening match of the pre-season competition. A further two matches in the pre-season would follow before Lambert was upgraded to the club's senior list ahead of the season's opening match. Lambert narrowly avoided senior selection in round 1, named only as an emergency for that match with. His AFL debut would come the following week in a match against the at the MCG. Lambert was substituted out of the match in the third quarter after sustaining a serious shoulder injury. The damage was later diagnosed as a separated shoulder and would require surgery to repair, seeing Lambert sidelined for an estimated six to eight weeks. He made his return to football with the club's reserves side in the VFL in late June. Despite playing only limited game time due to his ongoing recovery, Lambert still recorded 28 disposals, eight clearances and a goal. He earned an AFL-level recall the following week, in round 13's victory over. A further seven straight matches with the senior side followed before Lambert turned in a two-goal, 27 disposal performance against the in round 20 that saw him named in the club's best players that day. He went on to play in each of the club's final four matches of the year, including a losing elimination final against. At season's end he placed seventh in the AFL Players Association's best first year player award. He had played 13 matches and kicked eight goals at senior level that year.

2016 season

Ahead of the 2016 season Lambert was upgraded permanently to Richmond's senior list and made a switch in guernsey numbers from 48 to 23. He opened the pre-season and the season-proper with Richmond's best-22, playing a starring role with a team-high 28 disposals, game-high seven tackles and a goal in round 1's season-opening victory over. For that performance he received the maximum ten votes in the Coaches Association player of the year award and earned recognition from television broadcaster the Seven Network as the player of the game. Lambert followed that match with two goals against in round 2, before kicking goals in each of the two matches after that. In round 6 Lambert suffered a fractured rib and punctured lung. He missed just two matches as a result of the injury and made his return in round 9's win over. A further five matches at AFL-level would follow before Lambert was omitted from the senior side ahead of round 16. After two weeks of VFL football Lambert earned his way back into senior selection for a single match in round 19 before being again omitted the following week. A final two matches at senior level came in round 22 and 23 with Lambert finishing the year having played 15 AFL matches.

2017 season

Despite finishing the year previous at AFL level, Lambert would start 2017 by earning selection in only one of a possible three matches pre-season matches before starting the home and away season with the club's reserves side in the VFL. He earned an early chance at senior level in round 2, recalled for the club's 19-point victory over. Lambert made an impact the following week when he was given a tagging role on midfielder Sam Mitchell for the final three quarters of the match. He limited Mitchell to just 13 possessions from that point forward, after the former-Brownlow Medalist had registered 12 in the match's opening term. Lambert continued to contribute at AFL level over the following two months, reaching the season's midpoint with what would be a career-best average of 18.8 disposals per game. In round 12, the final match of that stretch, he earned a coaches award vote and a mention by The Age as one of Richmond's best for his performance in a win over. Lambert was again in the bests in round 14, this time named as such by AFL Media for a 26 disposal, six tackle and one-goal effort against. The following week he registered career bests in disposals and tackles, as well as his first career Brownlow Medal votes in Richmond's road victory over. In round 20 Lambert was best on ground and received the maximum 10 coaches association award votes for his 30 disposal, eight inside-50 performance against. He earned another mention in the bests the following week in round 21 before kicking a career-best three goals in Richnond's 104-point demolition of in round 22. He played his 50th career match at the start of the finals series, in Richmond's qualifying final victory over. The following week he kicked a goal as his side defeated in a preliminary final and won its way through to its first grand final in 35 years. Lambert was in some doubt to be fit for the match though, after sustaining a minor ankle injury in the earlier game. He had managed to play out the end of the preliminary final however and ultimately earned selection in the grand final that followed. There he became a premiership player, kicking a goal and adding 22 disposals in the club's first premiership since 1980. At the conclusion of the season and finals series Lambert was named at number 50 in Herald Sun chief football reporter Mark Robinson's list of the league's best players in 2017. He finished the year ranked fifth in the competition for total goal assists as well as second at the club for goal assists and tackles and fourth for inside 50s. Lambert also placed third in the club's best and fairest award, earning the Maurie Fleming Medal for his outstanding season.

2018 season

In the weeks following his side's premiership win in 2017, Lambert underwent minor knee surgery. It would not reduce his training time however, with a return to training occurring on schedule with the rest of the squad in late November 2017. Lambert kicked four goals and was among Richmond's best in one match during the club's pre-season campaign, before opening the season-proper with a win over at the MCG. He played a key role in round 4's 93-point win over Brisbane, notching 26 disposals, two goals and earning a mention among Richmond's best by AFL Media. The following week he was named best-on-ground by the Herald Sun for a two-goal performance against in the marquee ANZAC Day eve match. Lambert was again a multiple goal scorer in round 7, earning himself seven AFL Coaches Award votes to tie as Richmond's equal-best player that week. Another three goals followed in round 8 where he was again a selection among Richmond's best by AFL Media. After a quiet three week stretch where he averaged just 15 disposals, Lambert returned to Richmond's best with 26 disposals in round 12. He earned the honour once again the following week, before the club had a one-week bye in round 14. Lambert added three goals and an equal team-high 27 disposals to earn seven AFL Coaches votes in the club's return match in round 15. He notched a new career-high with 33 disposals in a win over the following week. After 18 rounds, Lambert ranked 10th in the league for score involvements and was 13th in the race for the AFL Coaches Association award. He added another strong performance with 31 disposals in round 20's win over before sustaining a minor syndesmosis sprain in his ankle in the final quarter of a match against in round 21. Lambert underwent minor surgery to reinforce the joint, missing the final two weeks of the home and away season as a result. For his career-best performances during the season, Lambert was one of 40 players pre-selected to the All-Australian squad of 40 players, though ultimately went selected for final honours that year. He was also one of three Richmond players nominated for the AFL Players Association's Most Valuable Player award. Lambert made a full injury recovery in his three weeks on the sidelines, including during the post-season bye, before returning in the club's qualifying final win over. He contributed 26 disposals and three goal assists in that match, to go with a career-high 17 contested possessions. Lambert's finals run would extend just one more match however, when Richmond was eliminated with a shock preliminary final loss to rivals. Following the conclusion of the 2018 finals series, Lambert was named by the Herald Sun's chief football writer Mark Robinson as the league's 32nd best player during the 2018 season.
He also attracted 12 votes in the Brownlow Medal and improved one spot on his previous year's effort to place second in the Richmond club best and fairest award.