Review Tom Lamb (2015 - 2017)

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Oct 27, 2006
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Sth Freo, Liverpool, Chicago Bulls
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Details
Number 28
Height 193cm
Weight 84kg
DOB 19-10-1996
Debut Round 1 Vs Western Bulldogs 2015

Player honours: -
Draft History: 2014 National Draft pick 32

Games
West Coast 1 Games, 1 Goals
 
Last edited:

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http://www.afl.com.au/news/2014-05-15/tom-lambs-story

SINCE he was 11, Tom Lamb has been picked up and driven to games of football every weekend by his grandfather, Ian Cooper.

Cooper, a blond-haired forward flanker and ruckman in St Kilda's 1966 premiership, has recently started letting Lamb take the wheel as the 17-year-old chalks up hours on his learner's licence, but the tradition continues.

His father, Wayne, has been another to offer encouragement. He lives in Tasmania, and often tells Tom about the things he wished he had done during his own football career, which spanned 21 games at Melbourne and Fitzroy in the 1990s.
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Bit of football in the family then.
 


Tom Lamb (Dandenong Stingrays)


Height: 192 cm
Weight: 86 kg
Position: Utility
Player comparison: Jack Watts
Strengths: Finding the ball, Can tear a game apart, Athleticism
Areas needing improvement: Consistency, Attitude

If you look at his stats, Tom Lamb does not warrant the hype he’s had all year. In his 13 TAC Cup Games, he hasn’t been named in Dandenong’s best players since his third game, in early May, against NSW/ACT.

But he deserves more. Lamb averages 22 disposals per game, which is incredible for a guy who has played barely any minutes in the midfield. He managed 33 disposals at close to 70% efficiency against Bendigo, with 10 handball receives and eight marks to go along with it. He didn’t register a single vote in that game.

Why did recruiters rate him as a top 10 selection, with the potential to be one of the best in the league?

In his two finals games, Lamb has been quietly putting together some solid form. He hasn’t quite lit up the game with flashy play like in last year’s grand final, but he’s been an important reason why a merely okay Stringrays outfit has two finals wins. He’s averaged 25 disposals at 60% efficiency across the two games, as well as averaging six marks, 9.5 handball receives and 1.5 goals per game. He showed he was willing to work against the Jets, with six tackles too.

In isolated games, Lamb looks like he has all the talent. In round one he had a poor first half, but ended up winning the game single-handedly with six goals, 13 marks and 25 disposals. Since then, there has been a whole lot of pressure on the AIS graduate.

Here’s why some recruiters refuse to consider him as a first round selection: He’s run at 54% disposal efficiency for the whole year. His skills need serious work, but he does have games where he finds targets with ease. He has kicked 13 goals in 12 games. Considering six of them came in round one, you have to wonder whether he is actually much of a forward threat at all. After taking six contested marks in round one (13 marks altogether), he has taken just five more in the other 11 games. At 192 centimetres and rotating between centre half forward, the wing and half back, you’d think someone who is as prodigious as Lamb would take at least one or two per game.

In the National Championships, Lamb struggled for quite some time. He averaged 15 disposals, which isn’t bad off a half back flank, but again he ran at a really poor 57%. He only kicked the one goal in five games, but he did look okay when he moved to a back flank.

Lamb is a bit similar to Jack Watts. He has a lean body and avoids body contact in contested situations. He’s a reliable lead up target, but doesn’t quite have all the tricks of a high class key forward. Lamb is really athletic, and can run all day if he wants, but he doesn’t quite have the work ethic yet.

Lamb finds plenty of the outside ball, and if he works at it, his kicking out of the backline could be easily improved. Lamb has plenty of speed and an incredible leaping ability, and we know he can turn a game on its head if he wants.
 
Confirmed to make his debut in round 1, the first Victorian to do so since Andrew Gaff.

Will become the 220th Eagle to appear, the second named after the offspring of a sheep (after distant relative and 1992 premiership player Dwayne) and the fifth to wear the number 28 (after Lewis, Sampi, Scooter (briefly) and Smith). Smith incidentally was the last Eagle to come from TAC Cup team Dandenong Stingrays, which has also given us such luminaries as Chad Morrison, Andrew Williams and Paul Johnson.
 

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If he can improve his disposal, sky is the limit for this kid. Tall, fast, good vertical leap, good agility. Had zero problem with going for the high risk, high reward selection in Lamb after a couple of relatively safe, solid selections in Duggan and Sheed.
 
So in the quick quizzes on the WCE website both Priddis and Darling answered Lamb when asked "Who is the next big thing at your club?". That's a pretty major endorsement. Our future is bright with Gov, Yeo, Lamb, Duggan and Sheed all developing nicely. Think all five will be in our B22 at some point during the coming season - think Lamb is closer to cracking in than many people realise.
 
Obeanie1 said:
Wonder if Lamb could develop and play back as well as forward? Tall running HBFer ? CHB. Two swingmen with McGovern would add amazing flexibility.
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That's exactly what the plan is I think - in round 1 (his debut) this year he replaced Brown when he got injured (he was the sub) and played back. I think he looks more comfortable forward personally (he did pretty well for East Perth in amongst his injuries) but he's only very young still for a KPP so has heaps more potential to develop fully. He played both ends before we drafted him. He could even pinch hit as a mid given his athleticism and endurance. Although he was originally expected to go top 10 in his draft year and many said he slid because he was played all over the place, so we might want to give him time to master one position first and then transform him into a swingman as a secondary objective.

Gov and Yeo being so versatile is one of the reasons I think we did so well in 2015. Can easily see Lamb being our third quality versatile at some point in the future. Unlike some others I don't see him as just a backup for Darling and would find a way to have both playing in our B22 later this coming season.
 
iLikeIt said:
That's exactly what the plan is I think - in round 1 (his debut) this year he replaced Brown when he got injured (he was the sub) and played back. I think he looks more comfortable forward personally (he did pretty well for East Perth in amongst his injuries) but he's only very young still for a KPP so has heaps more potential to develop fully. He played both ends before we drafted him. He could even pinch hit as a mid given his athleticism and endurance. Although he was originally expected to go top 10 in his draft year and many said he slid because he was played all over the place, so we might want to give him time to master one position first and then transform him into a swingman as a secondary objective.

Gov and Yeo being so versatile is one of the reasons I think we did so well in 2015. Can easily see Lamb being our third quality versatile at some point in the future. Unlike some others I don't see him as just a backup for Darling and would find a way to have both playing in our B22 later this coming season.
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We stuffed around with Yeo last year plugging holes in defence. A more consistent mid / forward role in 2016 for Yeo will pay bigger dividends.

Really hope we never play 3 tall backs again. McGovern and Lamb could provide serious flexibility and allow us to play another m7d or running utility such as Ellis, Duggan or say a Nelson or Karpany / Partington rather than a extra tall back such as Brown or Schofield.
 
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