CARLTON forward Jed Lamb’s next game will be his 50^th; “a little milestone” by his account.

The No.13 is entering his eighth year in the AFL system, with a tough run of injury preventing him from amassing as many games as he probably would have liked. Despite that, the 25-year-old said he was pleased to be marking the occasion in the navy blue.

“It’s pretty exciting,” Lamb said.

“It’s probably taken a lot longer than I would have liked. I’m coming into my eighth year, so I would like to play a few more, but it’s exciting to play 50 – a little milestone along the way – and hopefully we can get a win.”

Lamb played in the midfield in the season-opener against Richmond on Thursday night. After accruing 16 disposals and 11 uncontested possessions, he said he had embraced the move from the forward line into the midfield.

Jed Lamb in action against the Tigers in Round 1. (Photo: AFL Photos)

“I was pretty happy. I had a pretty big pre-season, so I built my tank up and ran a few personal bests, so I play a bit more on the wing now which is nice,” Lamb said.

“I thought I got a bit of the footy, and I used it pretty well. It would have been nice to hit the scoreboard but overall there were some positives to take away and some things to improve as well both personally and as a team.

“I think over the JLT we kicked a pretty big score in both games and last year it was probably one of the areas we struggled with. (Last week) was the only time a team has kicked that score against Richmond at the MCG in the last year or so.

“Big Charlie (Charlie Curnow) is in good form, and big Levi (Levi Casboult) played his role really well.

“There’s a lot of pressure in the forward line at the moment. There’s blokes like Harry McKay and Cameron Polson that are in the VFL at the moment that are playing really good footy.

“The boys are playing on the edge and it’s keeping us all in line.”

The Round 1 game against the reigning premiers was before a record-breaking opening-round attendance of 90,151. Fans would not have been disappointed with the game’s level of excitement. Unfortunately for the Blues, the Tigers took the win by 26 points. Despite the loss, Lamb said there were lessons to be learned.

Jed Lamb will play his 50th game this weekend. (Photo: AFL Photos)

“It was a great experience in front of 90,000. I’m sure our fans were excited from what they’re seeing. With the way we move the ball a lot quicker, we showed a bit of flair,” Lamb said.

“We took a lot of positives out of it going into Gold Coast.”

This Saturday’s match against the Suns, the Club’s first home game of the season, comes off the back of Gold Coast’s 16-point win against North Melbourne last weekend.

While Carlton got up by 10 points last time they met, Lamb said the tourists will present challenges for the Blues.

“We just reviewed the Richmond game, and we took a lot of positives out of that,” he said.

“Our ball movement was really good, so we will address Gold Coast and the way they play during the week, but we know they’re a pretty in-and-under team. They’ve got big Tommy Lynch up in the forward line too, who’s a superstar, so we will have to watch him.

“Obviously Stuart Dew’s taken over so they’re all fresh and ready to go. They had a good win on the weekend in the wet, so we’re looking forward to a big challenge and hopefully we’ll get the win.”

Lamb’s persistence on James Sicily is credited as contributing to Carlton’s drought-breaking win against Hawthorn last year. In this regard, his nickname, ‘The Pest’, is fitting. He said it was a responsibility he had embraced.

“(‘The Pest’) sort of came about last year. Teams these days sort of have running half-backers that set up plays, so when I first came in last year after a bit of knee surgery, I started playing a role to shut down their dangerous half-backs,” he said.

“Around the Club I can be a bit of a pest too, so I guess it fits well.”

When Lamb isn’t being a pest on an off the field, he enjoys laying low. After football hours, he might be found heading to the movies or embarking on his journey to learn guitar.

Jed Lamb and James Sicily get acquainted, Round 22 2017. (Photo: AFL Photos)

“I can play a few notes and I’ve been wanting to play for ages,” he said.

His movie recommendation? Love, Simon. “I didn’t think I’d like it, but it wasn’t too bad. It pulled the heartstrings a bit,” Lamb said.

The Round 1 clash against Richmond had all the qualities of a great drama. There’s no doubt that if Lamb continues to pursue greatness for his Navy Blues in their 2018 endeavours, the Carlton faithful’s heartstrings will also be pulled this year.

But for now, Jed Lamb has his 50^th game to get under his belt. His Gold Coast match-up be wary: the pest is ready.