Ryan Gamble
Ryan Gamble
Personal information
Full name	Ryan Gamble
Nickname(s)	Vegas
Date of birth	23 September 1987 (1987-09-23) (age 22)
Place of birth	Millicent, South Australia
Recruited from	Glenelg (SANFL)
Draft	47th overall, 2005 Geelong
Height/Weight	184cm / 83kg
Club information
Current club	Geelong
Number	15
Playing career1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
2006 –	Geelong	16 (24)
1 Playing statistics to end of Round 6, 2009 season .

Ryan Gamble (born 23 September 1987) is an Australian rules footballer for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

[edit] Early life

Gamble played his junior football at the Mt Burr United Football Club, from the MSEFL in South Australia, and at the Glenelg Football Club in the SANFL from the age of 17, predominately in the reserves, but gaining senior selection towards the end of the season. The Geelong Football Club drafted him with their third round selection in the 2005 AFL Draft (47th pick overall), making him the MSEFL's first AFL draftee^{[citation needed]}.

[edit] Career

Gamble spent almost all of the 2006 season playing for the Geelong VFL team, rotating as a midfielder and forward, also noted as a prolific high-flyer[1]. He gained senior AFL selection for the final game of 2006. He has shown a high skill level, and his light frame (78 kg) is the only thing likely to hinder him from gaining regular selection in the near future.

Gamble was unlucky not to gain selection at AFL level in 2007, after a pre-season injury in which he tore ligaments in his ankle.^[1] He was almost certain to get a few more games under his belt, but his injury prevented him being right for selection for the first half of the season, and Geelong's success in 2007 meant few changes were made to the team each week, causing Gamble, as well as several other young players to miss out on senior selection throughout the year.

[edit] 2008 season

Gamble impressed in the pre-season after kicking 5 goals against a strong Port Adelaide side in an exhibition match in London. Many predicted he would make his senior breakthrough this year, provided he stay injury-free and he has managed to do so, being included in the Cats squad in round ones and two, kicking 4 goals as a small roving forward before succumnbing once again to injury, but after a one week absence he returned to the Cats lineup against St Kilda in round 4, however his single major wasn't enough to retain his place.

Since then he has made himself a very valuable squad member having played 4 games consecutively. His impressive form and 5 goals in a game in the VFL earned him a place amongst the reserves and when David Wojcinski pulled out at the last minute against the Western Bulldogs, Gamble filled the void impressively kicking 4 goals in the Cats 61 point win. Gamble was a finalist in the 2008 Army Award, which recognises acts of courage, intitiative and teamwork on the footy field.

[edit] Statistics

Statistics are correct as of round 19 of 2008 season

[edit] References

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (December 2007) (Find sources: Ryan Gamble – news, books, scholar)

[edit] External links

• Ryan Gamble profile on the Official AFL Website of the Geelong Football Club
• Geelong's 2005 Draft Selections
• Article on Gamble's Abilities