With four children, or as she says “five if you include Craig,” along with 47 players to care for, you could call Brisbane Lions Player Welfare Manager Mel Lambert, ‘Superwoman.’

Coming back to the Club at the end of 2015, the Lambert’s have made a noticeable difference and Mel says a majority of her work is done behind the scenes.

“It’s the off-field, especially with the interstate players, it’s the homesickness and the lack of family that they have around them and then for welfare to step in and be the family for them,” Lambert said.

“It’s the boys coming over and sitting on your lounge room floor or on the couch on all hours of the day or night.

“It’s having sleepovers at our house because they’re a bit homesick.

“It’s cooking lessons… It’s driving lessons… It’s the unseen stuff.”

The Welfare role isn’t just about the players either, it’s the whole ‘Club Family.’

“It’s basically helping out the entire family of the Club, it’s not just the players. It’s their partners, their uncles, aunties, mums and dads and all sorts,” Lambert said.

It’s a 24/7 job which means Mel and Craig really don’t get a lot of downtime – but they love it!

“To do this role, probably you have to love the role. There’s no point if you don’t… And we love it,” she said.

With a mass of player’s recommitting to the Club already in 2016, it’s safe to say that the Welfare team, consisting of the Lamberts and Welfare Assistant Kelly Jansson, have made a significant impact on the Club, but it hasn’t been the result of an overhaul. The Lambert's believes that it’s the small things that make the difference.

“It’s been little bits (that needed changing), it hasn’t been too big of a job,” Mel said.

“It’s just little changes of inclusion of the playing group.

“Them getting together and doing things together. It’s inclusions of their families.

“We have a great coterie group called the Lion Hearts and they have five pre game functions for the families that are up.

“It’s just basically getting everybody on board.”

Jackson Paine says that what the Lambert’s have brought to the Club is inline with our “proudest value – Family.”

“We joke about it a lot but they’re (the Lamberts) obviously an incredible part of this Club,” Paine said.

Listen to Mel on the 'From the Players' Lounge' podcast: