Kane Lambert is the underrated Tiger we should be taking notice ofApril 26, 2018
Sarah Olle
FOX SPORTSKANE Lambert finished on the podium at Richmond’s best and fairest in the club’s premiership season of 2017.
But the tenacious Tiger remains an unsung hero, with the likes of Dustin Martin, Alex Rance, Jack Riewoldt and Trent Cotchin ordinarily earning the plaudits.
While all four of those recognised Tigers had their moments against Melbourne on Tuesday night, it was Lambert who shone brightest.
The rookie draftee racked up 29 touches, eight tackles, five inside 50s and two goals in a best of ground performance that typified Richmond’s depth and resilience.
Hawthorn legend Dermott Brereton lauded Lambert’s match, calling the 26-year-old’s performance the “complete game”.
“For the outside-type players, generally they’re not hard tacklers,” Brereton said on Fox Footy.
“That’s the basic rule of thumb. This bloke tackles like there’s no tomorrow.
“The pressure with his running between the two arcs, the pressure on the opposition when they had the ball ... what they want from him, he gave them a complete game.”
Triple-premiership player Jonathan Brown was just as impressed with Lambert’s four-quarter performance.
Indeed, Brown not only noted that Lambert was capable of playing in a number of positions, but that he was the exact player Melbourne was crying out for.
“He’s got a nice mix,” Brown said.
“He can play inside as well. He can go into the centre bounce. He’s the style of player that Melbourne don’t have a lot of.”
While Melbourne got to within two kicks of Richmond in the third term, the Tigers surged in the final quarter to win by 46 points.
Second-gamer Jack Higgins kicked three goals, while Lambert and five other teammates booted two majors.
Lambert said the spread of goal kickers and possession winners reflected the club’s team-first mentality.
“We take more satisfaction out of each other’s goals,” Lambert said.
“There’s a lot of things you don’t see or things that don’t get stats, but internally we celebrate them.
“It’s not always about getting the footy. It’s about setting up your teammates.”
https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/the-underrated-tiger-we-should-be-taking-notice-of-kane-lambert/news-story/5a17d08077c54b0cf75c8e4e1ba56372