Development Coach Shaun Hart, believes Peter Wright could be a long-term prospect as a ruckman for Gold Coast.

Wright has played the last three NEAFL matches in the middle of the ground to build match fitness and has impressed in his short stint there, registering 22 disposals and two goals in the loss to Sydney on the weekend.

With Jarrod Witts currently holding the mantle as the premier ruckman at the club, Hart says Wright could be used to relieve him at senior level.

“I think he can certainly do some minutes there,” Hart told SUNS TV.

“He’s such an athlete Peter, that he can really have impact around the ground as he did early in the game this weekend and at other times throughout the game.”

In his fourth season with the club, Wright started his career as a key position forward, kicking 59 goals in his 42 games to date.

Hart says despite his promising ruckwork, it is hard to go past two-metre Peter’s accurate set shot and strong hands which makes him such a damaging forward.

“He’ll play forward most likely when he plays AFL footy again,” Hart said.

“But I can really see a long-term future where he could seriously spend some time in the ruck and become one of the best ruckmen going forward.

“I think given the way he can run, the way he can mark the ball, he’d be a hard man to match up on.”

Back to full fitness, Wright will be putting his hand up to play his first senior game for the year when the SUNS take on Hawthorn in Tasmania on the weekend.

“I think he’ll definitely be in calculation for selection this week,” Hart said.

“Sam Day and Tom Lynch have been our two key forwards at the moment so it’s a matter of how that might work in terms of three talls.

“We’ll see what happens in match committee in that regard, but I would imagine that Peter is really pushing and getting close to playing AFL footy again.”