He is known as the promising hit-up forward who joined the Saints after five seasons in and out of the successful Geelong line-up. But few no much more about Ryan Gamble.

Growing up in Millicent, a small country town in south-east South Australia, Gamble played junior football for county club Mount Burr until he was 16 years old. After showing great promise and talent, he moved to Adelaide where he spent a year playing for Glenelg in the SANFL competition.

Having performed in both Glenelg’s reserve and league sides at the tender age of 17, Geelong picked Gamble with pick 47 in the 2005 NAB AFL Draft.

Five seasons later, Gamble found himself struggling to cement a regular spot for the Cats, despite a number of quality performances at the top level. But his talent didn’t go unnoticed, with the Saints drafting the 23 year old at the end of 2010 with their 90th selection.

Half way through his first season with St Kilda, Gamble says he is enjoying his new surroundings, and is still continuing to learn the way the Saints play.

“The Club’s been great…obviously it’s always going to be different at a new football club, but everyone’s been very welcoming.”

“It is difficult moving from club to club, I’m still getting used to the game plan but now that I’ve settled in I think my football is starting to take care of itself and hopefully I can start to cement my spot,” Gamble told saints.com.au.

Since making the move from the Cats, Gamble admits that Senior Coach Ross Lyon had been a fantastic mentor for him.

“Ross and Mark Thompson [Gamble’s former coach] obviously coach differently, but Ross has been great. He’s been very good to me and he’s given me the opportunity to come across and play so I’m very thankful for that.”

Standing at 184cm, Gamble is a versatile player and said that potentially playing a role in the midfield or even in defence is something that appeals to him, but hopes he can make his mark alongside the St Kilda forward line.

“In my last year at Geelong I played the whole year in the backline, and I have also played midfield. You really need to work on your fitness if you want to go into the midfield in the AFL, which is something that I’m trying to do, but at the moment I’m just focused on cementing a spot up forward.”

Football isn’t the quiet country boy from the South-Easts’ only love, with Gamble enjoying getting out onto the golf course whenever he has time away from the footy club. He is pretty handy too, winning the St Kilda Football Club’s 2011 Corporate Golf Day earlier this year.

With his versatility and x-factor, Ryan Gamble has the potential to significantly assist the St Kilda forward line by providing another avenue to goal, and relieving the reliance on key forward and Captain Nick Riewoldt.

There is no doubt fans across the country will be watching the development of this promising talent with great intrigue over the remainder of this season.