FORMER Richmond and Adelaide utility
Richard Tambling has quit SANFL club Sturt to be closer with friends and family in the Northern Territory.
The Double Blues vice-captain first knocked back an opportunity to play with NT Thunder in 2014 to remain in Adelaide.
But the 28-year-old wants his children to experience his family's culture in the Top End.
Tambling - who worked as the SANFL’s Diversity Programs Co-ordinator this year – has also secured employment with AFLNT in a similar role.
The 124-game AFL player told the SANFL website there were many reasons for wanting to move back home, in particular spending more time with his grandmother Barbara, who played a significant role in his upbringing.
"I have enjoyed my time here and the opportunities given to me by the Sturt Football Club and the SANFL," he said.
"But the lure of going home has been there for quite some time. Having young kids and not having too many other family members around has been difficult.
"We are looking at taking our kids home to spend some time with the family to learn a bit about their cultural heritage in the bush."
"She (Barbara) has got a lot of information in her brain about her cultural past which has to pass down to generations. My kids just haven’t spent enough time with her and she is in and out of hospital at the moment so getting back to see her live out her days has probably led to my decision."
Tambling will again play with Southern Districts in the NTFL in the 2014-15 season before it is likely he will join Territory Thunder for the 2015 NEAFL season.
"They (Thunder) missed out on the Grand Final last year by a couple of kicks," Tambling said.
"It is a good standard of football as they get to play against the (AFL) reserves sides in Sydney and Brisbane."
http://www.neafl.com.au/index.php?id=16&tx_ttnews[year]=2014&tx_ttnews[month]=11&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=1896&cHash=ed8c2b59801da18f3df2d6881a6f17fd
