The reasons why Lappin swapped Cats for Devils

Nigel Lappin says there are several factors as to why he left Geelong and made the move to Tasmania.

The long-time development guru pulled up stumps at the Cats to take on the vital role with the Devils who enter the AFL in 2028.

Lappin had been with the Cats for nearly two decades, he was bringing through young gun after young gun, and the team was always contending.

So why did he up and leave the Cattery for Tassie?

“There's a few reasons. Firstly, over my journey as a coach I spent 18 years at the Cats,” Lappin said on SEN Summer Run.

“One of the things that worked out reasonably quickly is that I love development coaching the most. I've always loved my time with the AFL team and as a line coach for many years, but what floats my boat the most and what makes me the most passionate about what I do is working with the youth and developing the youth.

“So this is an amazing opportunity. A start-up club, very proud state, obviously, and some unique talent coming in. So that's one reason.”

Lappin suggests the time is right from a lifestyle perspective to shift to another state, while highlighting his relationship with senior coach Ken Hinkley which dates back to their time together at Geelong in 2009.

“Probably reason two is just the stage that I'm at in my life,” he continued.

“We've got adult children now, I've got four girls that have all moved out of home. So the opportunity is probably there for me to do something different and look at the next phase of my life.

“One of the biggest reasons is that I was very close with Ken when I worked with him for a year at the Cats. We've had a great relationship ever since and kept in close contact.

“When he called, I got really excited about all those factors.”

Tassie has already welcomed eight promising youngsters to the club and is currently in the process of recruiting experienced players.

Lappin outlined the importance of bringing in established footballers to form the foundation for those emerging kids to build off.

He’s hoping once a few taste what Tasmania has to offer then others will hop on board.

“Obviously you do want to win so you need high-end talent. Then with that high-end talent if you can get guys who are of great character and they want to invest in not only others but in the team,” the Brisbane Lions champion said.

“So that's definitely what the list management team are going after at the moment. Obviously we've got a challenge, it's not going to be for everybody, but what we've seen in some other places - Geelong’s a perfect example - is that it will suit people.

“Once you get one or two on board, we're hoping that frees a few others up to think that, ‘Yeah, with that guy on board I feel like this would be a really good opportunity for me, and I like what Tassie are trying to build’.

“I think Ken’s a really big drawcard with that as well. He’s just a wonderful guy with great values. He enjoys what he does and makes sure the players enjoy what they do.

“Then the other part for me is if they get down here and experience what Hobart has to offer, it is a beautiful city, it’s got something for everybody and the people are fantastic.

“So we're hoping that we can get a few people over here to experience it and jump on board and lead the next generation.”

Listen to the full chat with Lappin below: