Craig Lambert opens up on life after the Lachie Whitfield saga
Footy’s forgotten man, former Brisbane and Richmond midfielder turned welfare pioneer Craig Lambert, opens up on life after the Lachie Whitfield saga.
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Stephen Coniglio lies concussed in the centre square of Sydney’s Showgrounds Stadium.
On the other side of Australia in their Perth loungeroom, Coniglio’s parents, Sandro and Jane, stare despairingly at the TV.
It’s mid-2014, in the early days of the Greater Western Sydney experiment, in a match against Essendon.
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“We were in shock,” Sandro recalled this week.
“But within 30 seconds of Stephen being carried to the bench a text came through from Craig Lambert, saying; ‘Look, he’s not too bad, he’s just been assessed’.
“It really settled down our anxiety — and that would happen every time he came off with an injury.
“Then after the game Craig would always follow up with a call.”
Lambert, 50, was a central figure in the formation of the AFL’s 18th club.
As the Giants’ welfare manager, Craig and his wife Melissa helped forge an Australian Rules team in rugby league heartland.
“He’s a quality guy of the highest order,” said Sandro, the principal of a Catholic primary school.
“As a family with a 17-year-old kid off to Sydney and lots of doubts all around that — if it wasn’t for Craig and Mel I don’t think it would have worked.
“They took him in as a son, as they did to most of the boys.
“I can’t speak highly enough of him.”
But Lambert’s world came crashing down three years ago when he became embroiled in the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority’s probe into Lachie Whitfield.
The former Richmond and Brisbane midfielder was accused of hiding Whitfield at his Sydney home amid concerns he would fail an illicit drugs test.
It’s an episode he fears will stop him from returning to the game he loves.
After a protracted AFL investigation, Whitfield, Lambert and Giants footy boss Graeme “Gubby” Allan were suspended.
Allan and Whitfield have long since returned, but Lambert remains out of the game he loves.
“I was very saddened by that,” Sandro said.
“You do feel incredibly for a person who has done so much good and only wants good for the individual.
“To lose a guy like that is a huge blow. To still be out of football, I find that hard to fathom.
“His knowledge, not only with football, but now with welfare is absolutely unbelievable.
“The boys respected (former GWS coach) Kevin Sheedy and whoever else, but I really believe that it was Craig who had a huge influence on them.”
Footy legend Leigh Matthews knows all about Lambert’s gifts.
Lambert played under him at the Brisbane Lions before filling a key role in the coaches box during the club’s triple-premiership run.
“He was incredibly valuable in the Lions era,” Matthews said.
“In modern footy when you talk about empathy and relationship building and all that sort of stuff — that was something he was very good at before it became fashionable.
“He did the midfield coaching role but eventually moved into player welfare because he just had great ability in dealing with young players.
“Even before we had a job doing it, the Lamberts’ household in Brisbane was always a second home for the young blokes, whether it was Brad or Chris Scott, going that far back.”
On Lambert’s loss to the game, Matthews said: “Obviously we know that it all finished after that suspension from the Lachie Whitfield thing. I kind of always thought that was to do with the AFL and ASADA having a bit of a conflict going on — and ‘Lamby’ and Gubby Allan were suspended for hiding him when no one was looking for him.”
Giants star Toby Greene’s mother Kate was one of numerous parents keen to spruik Lambert’s wares.
“Toby left here straight out of Year 12. It was a big move up to Sydney and the Lamberts — Craig and Mel — became his Sydney parents in a way,” Greene said
“They were just amazing. Craig became a great friend of Toby’s and took him under his wing as he did with all of the boys.
“He was able to relate with them on a level and become a bit of a mentor and a role model.”
Greene said the Giants’ commitment to player welfare was a critical component of the club’s early success.
“They not only supported our boys but the families,” she said. “The fact you’ve seen the likes of Toby and Stephen Coniglio re-signing ... the foundation years were so important.”
Former Lions teammate and Brownlow medallist Simon Black said Lambert was an asset waiting to be snapped up.
“He was instrumental for me as a young bloke coming through,” Black said.
“He builds genuine care and has been a loss to the system the last few years.”
Lambert still lives in Sydney and sells photocopiers, while Mel remains at the Giants.
He was reluctant to say too much but believes he still has plenty to offer in footy’s expanding wellbeing space.
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“If an opportunity arose, I’d love to get back involved because it’s something I’m unbelievably passionate about,” Lambert said.
“I’d like to think over a 30-year journey the body of work myself and my family have put in to the game supersedes one incident.
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“I’ve always had nothing but respect for the AFL and the amazing things our game has to offer.
“I was so happy to see Lachie win his first best and fairest and an All Australian jumper last year and for Gubby to be back in football with St Kilda.
“The five years I had at the Giants were among the best of my life. I just love the game and helping young players become the best footballers — and people — they can be.
“To be able to connect people and make them believe and feel like they belong is the magic that I miss the most.”
Originally published as Craig Lambert opens up on life after the Lachie Whitfield saga