Three days into his new life as a development coach with the Gold Coast SUNS, Matthew Lappin is looking to pass on his wealth of experience to the entire playing list heading into the 2015 AFL season.

With over two decades in the AFL environment, there’s not much ‘Skinny’ hasn’t seen within the confines of a football club.

“I’ve been in footy for 21 years; 14 years as a player, seven years as a coach, so there’s not a lot in the game that I haven’t seen at one point as either a player or a coach,” Lappin told SUNS TV.

“I’m hoping to pass on all my experiences to those young blokes and prepare them, or deal with any issues that may arise - good, bad or indifferent.

“So, I’ve got a wealth of experience and just hope that I can transfer that to some of them and make their life in the AFL as successful as it possibly can be.”

Lappin can’t wait to get to work with the talented Gold Coast list, emphasising potential can only take the playing group so far; it is hard work over the gruelling off-season that is critical in ensuring success next season.

“Clearly the playing list is exciting. It’s really exciting to work with,” he said.

“There’s obviously a lot of top-end talent here so I’m looking forward to getting busy with a few of those, and we’re going to add three more picks in the top 30 in the next couple of weeks so there’s plenty to work with.

“We’ve just got to make sure we tap into the hard work stuff and make sure when we hit the ground come round one that we’re ready and raring to go.”

A three-time All-Australian, Lappin played 251 games for St Kilda and Carlton before spending three seasons with the Blues as an assistant coach. His most recent role was four years as forwards coach at the Collingwood Football Club until he landed with the SUNS on Monday morning.

In comparing the fledgling Gold Coast franchise with traditional AFL powerhouses, Lappin expressed genuine excitement at being a part of something fresh with the SUNS.

“Look, they’re big clubs (Carlton and Collingwood) and they were both great experiences for me as a player and a coach.

“But it’s also equally as exciting to be at a young club like this where they’re forging their own traditions and forging their own culture.

“I can already see that there’s some pretty strong elements of that, so it’s good to see they’re already on their track and I just want to be a part of that.”