Terry Lamb
A little bit about the man himself
Terence John Lamb OAM, (born September 15, 1961) is an Australian former rugby league player. Lamb played 349 games (a competition record), with Wests (1980-1983), and Canterbury (1984-1996). Lamb was known for his support of the ball-carrier - his ability to be in the right place at the right time netted him 164 tries. He also kicked 386 goals and 44 field goals, for 1442 points in first grade. Terry played for New South Wales in State of Origin and Australia. He holds the distinction of being the only player to appear in every match on a Kangaroo Tour.
Junior Career
Lamb grew up in Chester Hill, a suburb in the Bankstown area and attended Sefton High School. Lamb played all his junior football for the Chester Hill Hornets club during the years 1967-79 where he won multiple Best & Fairest awards. He only played in one Grand Final when he filled in for a side above his age group.
Western Suburbs Magpies career
On the 25th May 1980, Lamb made his first grade premiership debut for Wests against Balmain Tigers at Lidcombe Oval. Lamb scored two tries in the Magpies comprehensive 25-12 victory. Lamb scored 9 tries in his debut season and was edged out for the inaugural Dally M Rookie of the Year award by team-mate Jim Leis who would go on the Australian 1980 Tour of New Zealand.Lamb's final season with Wests was in 1983 where the Magpies won the dreaded Wooden Spoon prize.
Joining the Bulldogs and early success
Lamb chose to join the Bulldogs for less money than Manly were offering. Lamb was an instant hit with the supporters and his support play came to the fore as he was the Sydney Premiership's leading try scorer with 17. 1984 Canterbury took out the Grand Final 6-4 in a bruising game of football. Lamb was replaced with five minutes remaining due to a nasty gash above his head. Lamb finally tasted premiership-winning success.
More About Terry Lamb
1995 Grand Final
Canterbury qualified in 6th position for the ARL Finals Series. The Bulldogs defeated St George, Brisbane and defending premiers Canberra to make the Grand Final against Manly. Canterbury were never headed in the Grand Final defeating Manly 17-4 in the decider with Lamb plotting a crucial drop-goal to give them a seven-point lead. Lamb spent 10 minutes in the sin bin but that didn't stop his performance as he steered Canterbury to an impressive victory. It was a sweet moment for Lamb and coach Chris Anderson after five years of planning went into this moment. The 1995 Grand Final was also the swansong for Chief Executive Peter Moore who retired from his post after 26 years of service.
Coaching career
Lamb went straight from playing to coaching immediately after his retirement. The coaching success Lamb enjoyed in the lower grades saw him land the Wests Tigers head coaching position in 2001. However, the move to first grade proved to be a 'king hit' to his future coaching ambitions. This was a disastrous period for Wests Tigers, finishing in the bottom three in both 2001 and 2002. The club was plagued by player ill-discipline and suffered the embarrassment of the infamous finger-poking incident. Wests Tigers decided to revamp their coaching structure and replaced Lamb with Tim Sheens in 2003.
Career statistics
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Terry Lamb Achievements & Honours
- 1983 Dally M Player of the Year (1st Runner Up in 1984, 1987, 1992. 2nd Runner Up in 1986)
- 1984 Rothmans Medal Best & Fairest Winner
- Three times winner of the Dally M Players Player of the Year (1984, 1986, 1995)
- Record seven times Dally M Five-Eighth of the Year Award (1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1991, 1992, 1993)
- Won a record total of 18 Dally M Awards. Only Andrew Johns is near that figure
- NSWRL Premiership Leading Try scorer in 1984 (17) and 1987 (16)
- NSWRL Premiership Leading Point scorer in 1986 (210)
- Member of 1984, 1988 and 1995 Canterbury Premiership Winning Teams
- 1995 Canterbury Premiership Winning Captain
- Only player to play every match on a full Kangaroo Tour. Lamb played in all 20 matches comprising of 15 tour matches and 5 Tests on the 1986 Tour of Great Britain and France. A record that will never be equalled or achieved.
- Leading Try scoring with 19 on Australia's 1986 Kangaroo Tour
- Member of Australia's successful 1988 World Cup Final Squad
- Played in NSW's first State of Origin clean sweep in 1986
- Scored two tries in his first Premiership match playing for Wests against Balmain in 1980 and his last Premiership match playing for Canterbury against North Queensland in 1996
- Awarded keys to City of Canterbury, New South Wales in 1995 along with Peter Moore
- Awarded an Order of Australia (OAM) for services to rugby league
- Australian Sports Medal recipient, 24th October, 2000
- In February 2008, Lamb was named in the list of Australia's 100 Greatest Players (1908–2007) which was commissioned by the NRL and ARL to celebrate the code's centenary year in Australia