Lambert, 24, was informed of the good news after being invited in to coach Damien Hardwick's office on Monday afternoon.

Lambert said however that Hardwick would not guarantee him a place in the Tigers' side to face Carlton on April 2. "We've just got to wait and see, the competition for spots is extremely competitive at the moment," he said.

Richmond went into the pre-season with one vacancy on their senior list. Lambert had been fancied prior to NAB Challenge as the likely elevation target, and after playing all three games in the series, he beat out fellow rookies Matt Thomas, Matt Arnot, Jayden Short, Jason Castagna and Ivan Soldo for the spot.

Lambert, who was taken at pick 46 in December's rookie draft, was recruited from Williamstown. He had spent a year with the Seagulls after breaking through in 2013 at the Northern Blues where he was awarded the Forthergill-Round medal as the VFL's most promising young player.

He averaged 12 possessions during the NAB Challenge playing as a defensive forward despite playing most of his career as a midfielder.

He said the new position was taking some getting used to. "It's a little bit of a new role for me, but I feel like I can make it mine at some stage. I'm still learning the Richmond way and the way we want to play but hopefully there's a spot there for me and I can play my role there."

"In terms of the running capacity in that role I think I can handle that, it's just sort of learning the patterns and understanding our forward structures, being in the right places at the right time."

Lambert added that the Tigers had been very encouraging since he arrived at Punt Road. "Obviously me being a little older and mature, they just wanted me to believe in myself and know that I deserve to be at that level and just give everything I've got."

While suggesting that all those given a chance would be proud of their achievement, Lambert said that getting a spot on an AFL senior list was particularly special after his years of plugging away in the state league.

"I suppose with my journey not being so mainstream I suppose, it does hold pretty close to my heart. It's something I've been working towards for a number of years, not just this year."