Tasmania coach Ken Hinkley has expressed significant enthusiasm about the Devils signing Geelong development coach Nigel Lappin.
Lappin has a sterling reputation for developing talent at a Geelong side which has remained in premiership contention for the best part of a generation.
"He's an outstanding get for our footy club," Hinkley said on SEN.
"For the Devils to be able to get Nigel to come along and help, I think it's really, really critical.
"My experiences over my journey and back to my Gold Coast days is that one of the key things is we have to get development right when you've got a club which has a state with a great history with football.
"We now have to make sure that they development of that talent down there and the talent we get through the concessions is maximised because not every one of them will be hit out of the park."
Lappin arrived at the Cats in 2009 and played a significant role in three premiership sides in a variety of different roles, but he is most noted for his ability to nurture emerging talent.
"To get someone of Nigel's quality and get him to come down (with his family) – I think our timing was right and the opportunity and challenge Nigel was looking for was an exciting one and he's been such a great person and Geelong will be forever grateful for what Nigel has done for them," Hinkley added.
"We're so excited at the Devils that we've been able to get a really, really important piece to be part of the journey we're going on. At some stage in the future, we're going to be able to look back at what Nigel Lappin was able to bring to the Devils and hopefully a lot of positive things and great players."
Speaking on SEN on Tuesday, young Cats ruck Mitch Edwards offered an insight into what sets Lappin apart.
"Nigel is great. He's just such a good person, everyone has amazing relationships with him and he knows how to coach every person differently and he understands everyone really well," Edwards said.
"He has a wealth of knowledge playing in that Brisbane team, it was a gun team and throughout the week he'll have a chat to you, what he liked about your game, what he didn't like and hone in on it so you can be confident going into the next week that you've done the work and you can play with a bit of confidence."
