Adam Tomlinson will play his 100th game for the GIANTS when they take on North Melbourne in Hobart on Saturday, so what better excuse could we have to dig through our archives to find some photos of the dashing defender.

Young Tommo

Adam Tomlinson is a big fan of the beach and that’s been obvious from a young age. Here the blonde bombshell enjoys the surf in Victoria alongside his sisters Hayley and Kristy.

Becoming a GIANT

After some standout performances for the Oakleigh Charges in the TAC Cup and Vic Metro in the Under 18s National Championships, Tomlinson was drafted to the GIANTS with pick nine of the 2011 National Draft. Here, he is pictured alongside inaugural coach Kevin Sheedy and current GIANTS Toby Greene, Nick Haynes, Jonny Patton, Stephen Coniglio and Matt Buntine the morning after the inaugural ever draft.

Debut

A focused Adam Tomlinson clings to the kicking net inside the bowels of ANZ Stadium in the lead up to his - and the GIANTS’ - AFL debut in round one, 2012. The then 18-year-old was impressive in the club’s first-ever game, collecting 13 disposals and taking five marks.

A Long Time Coming

After 21 games – the longest wait in AFL history – Tomlinson finally got to celebrate a win with his GIANTS teammates and participate in a Gatorade shower. Tomlinson was impressive in the round 19, 2013 game against Melbourne as the GIANTS won by 37 points at Spotless Stadium. Tomlinson kicked a goal and had 18 disposals, including six inside-50s.

The Birth of A-Squared

The two Adams – Adam Tomlinson and Adam Kennedy – were always close friends. But it was on an interstate trip to Brisbane in 2014 that they cemented the moniker of “A-Squared”. Kennedy, a late withdrawl with a shoulder injury, asked pre-game if he could interview Tomlinson should the GIANTS beat the Lions, in what would be their first-ever interstate win. The victory came to fruition and Kennedy conducted the post-match interview, landing a smooch on his great mate as the pair dubbed themselves ‘A-Squared’. They’ve gone on to a hit show on GIANTS TV bringing plenty of laughs to GIANTS fans across the years. 

Lighter side

Tomlinson is not only a fan favourite but also a popular member of the club both on and off the field. His willingness to do any kind of media, participate in photo shoots and generally be happy to help with whatever needs doing has made him one of the media team’s favourites. Here he is modelling for the club’s 12 Days of Christmas promotion.

Career Best

While Tomlinson had a breakout year in 2016, establishing himself as one of the GIANTS’ most reliable defenders, it was his performance in the 2017 Preliminary Final against Richmond that he truly arrived. Amasing 26 disposals and finishing as one of the GIANTS’ best on ground in a 36-point loss, Tomlinson moved from defence and onto the wing to provide some incredible run and carry.

Always running

Tomlinson, pictured here running in the Blue Mountains on the GIANTS’ pre-season training camp, is always running. While he has been used primarily as a defender in the past three seasons, Tomlinson is a more than capable midfielder with an incredible amount of stamina. In 2017 he player 94 per cent of game time and so far in 2018 he’s played 90.9 per cent. For a 96kg, 194cm man, it’s remarkable that he usually sits second – only to Tom Scully – in 3km time trials at the club. It’s probably no surprise though when you look at his genetics. Mum Kaye was a former state-league netballer and sister Hayley ran for Australian at the World Youth Championships in Athletics and also represented Victoria in netball.