Kane Lambert

Kane Lambert (born 26 November 1991) is a former professional Australian rules football player who played for the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

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 (VFL).

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.

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.

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.

Lambert was drafted to Richmond in the 2015 rookie draft and made his debut for the club in round 1 of the 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.

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.

He is a triple-premiership player with the club, having played in grand final wins in 2017, 2019 and 2020.

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.