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Richard Tambling
Tambling playing for NT Thunder in June 2016
Personal information
Full name	Richard Tambling
Nickname(s)	Bling
Date of birth	(1986-09-12) 12 September 1986 (age 38)
Place of birth	Northern Territory
Original team(s)	Southern Districts
Draft	4th overall, 2004 Richmond
Height	180 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Weight	81 kg (179 lb)
Playing career
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
2005–2010	Richmond	108 (61)
2011–2013	Adelaide	016 0(1)
Total		124 (62)
Playing statistics correct to the end of 2013.
Career highlights
Junior Harrison Medal: 2004 SANFL Sturt best & fairest: 2012
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Richard Tambling (born 12 September 1986) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Richmond Football Club and the Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Early life

Tambling is from the Northern Territory, he grew up in a remote aboriginal community until the age of 13 before moving to Jabiru in Kakadu where he spent most of his childhood, he played footy as a junior but not seriously. English was not his first language growing up. As a teenager he moved to Darwin, Northern Territory to live with his grandmother where he got more serious about football joined the NT Thunder program and played in the underage national championships. It was there that he was identified by talent scouts. He had long been considered a dominant player up in the Northern Territory with his explosive speed and ability to read the play; he only confirmed that status throughout the 2004 pre-season. Terry Wallace was particularly impressed, saying he and Deledio were the "best young kids in the country".

In the 2004 AFL Draft Tambling was a first round selection, the number four pick overall, and drafted to the Richmond Football Club. Richmond had the opportunity to recruit Lance Franklin, some say this was bad judgement made by the Richmond recruitment personnel. In comparison to Franklin, Tambling's tenure at Richmond has been enigmatic.

AFL career

Richmond (2005-2010)

He played in 12 games in the 2005 AFL season and a further 21 in the 2006 AFL season. In the latter stages of 2005, Tambling struggled with injury, including a broken toe and a consistent hamstring problem.

By 2009 the constant criticism of the underperforming midfielder reached new heights in the round 3 match between the Western Bulldogs and the Richmond Tigers. Tambling's game was viewed by many experts as one of the worst performances of faltering career due to the amount of costly turnovers from his small total of 12 possessions. He received a bronx cheer from the Richmond fans after getting his first kick which also happened to be a turnover. Coach Terry Wallace later explained that Tambling had become a father in the two days earlier, which had affected his sleep before the match. Tambling was dropped from the Richmond team for the following match against the Demons. After a week at Coburg, he returned to the AFL in arguably the best form of his career. Very influential against Sydney, Fremantle, and the West Coast Eagles, he was finally showing the ability that was expected of him with his high draft pick.

Adelaide (2011-2013)

On 6 October 2010 Tambling was traded to the Adelaide Crows in exchange for a first and a third round draft selection. He was delisted at the end of the 2013 season, following 16 AFL matches over three years at the club.

State league football

After playing for Sturt in the SANFL, he has since played for the NT Thunder in the 2015, 2016 and 2017 NEAFL competitions.

Statistics

Personal life

Richard is an Indigenous Australian and his ancestry can be traced to the Woolna, a Northern Territory tribe.

Notes

1. Richard Tambling: A remarkable journey by Jack Hudson for the Inner Sanctum 19 November 2020
2. Le Grand, Chip (8 February 2008) Richard Tambling's hard story told with grace; The Australian
3. Matt Burgan (13 April 2009) Wallace defends quiet Tambling
4. Katrina Gill (6 October 2010) Tiger Tambling now a Crow Archived 29 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine
5. "Richard Tambling statistics". AFL Tables. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
6. AFL Record. Round 9, 2009. Slattery Publishing. p. 74.

External links

• Richard Tambling's profile on the official website of the Adelaide Football Club
• Richard Tambling's playing statistics from AFL Tables

• 1986 births
• Richmond Football Club players
• Adelaide Football Club players
• Indigenous Australian players of Australian rules football
• Living people
• Southern Districts Football Club players
• Sturt Football Club players
• Northern Territory Football Club players
• Coburg Football Club
• Australian rules football players from Darwin, Northern Territory