Tambling is from the Northern Territory, he grew up in a remote aboriginal community until the age of 13 before moving to Jabiru in Kakadu where he spent most of his childhood, he played footy as a junior but not seriously.

[1] As a teenager he moved to Darwin, Northern Territory to live with his grandmother where he got more serious about football joined the NT Thunder program and played in the underage national championships.

He had long been considered a dominant player up in the Northern Territory with his explosive speed and ability to read the play; he only confirmed that status throughout the 2004 pre-season.

Tambling's game was viewed by many experts as one of the worst performances of faltering career due to the amount of costly turnovers from his small total of 12 possessions.

Very influential against Sydney, Fremantle, and the West Coast Eagles, he was finally showing the ability that was expected of him with his high draft pick.