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Hinkley endorsed: Devils eyeing off Cats development coach
Jaiden Sciberras • July 29th, 2026 9:09 pm
The Tasmania Devils’ club build is in full swing, with the backroom staff continuing to take shape.
And after the appointment of former Port Adelaide head coach Ken Hinkley, the Devils have their eyes set on Geelong’s veteran development coach to lead their young side into battle from 2028.
Prioritising the role of Head of Development as their next key appointment, SEN’s Sam Edmund has revealed the ideal candidate that Tasmania is hoping to lure to the club.
Endorsed by Ken Hinkley, the Geelong development lead has coached since 2009, assistant coaching to two flags and playing a crucial role in keeping the Cats competitive for over a decade.
“I’m led to believe that their Head of Development is the next appointment they are prioritising, above the Head of Football, which might surprise a few people,” Edmund told SEN’s Locked In.
“Head of Development is going to be absolutely massive for this club. I think we know who they want it to be, and that’s Nigel Lappin.
“Ken Hinkley wants it to be Nigel. He nearly left for Carlton last year, and they through the kitchen sink at Nigel and he was going to go… until he wasn’t.
“Nigel has always stayed, for a long period of time at the Cats. He is loyal, he’s got a great working relationship with the coach there, Chris Scott.
“He has been wooed multiple times – not just this time, by the Devils.
“That’s who they want. Whether they can get is a whole other thing, but everyone you speak to says that he is - if not the best - right at the pointy end of it, Nigel Lappin.
“With all those kids about to enter a foreign environment largely, that appointment couldn’t be overstated in terms of its importance.”
