Matthew Lappin Biography

Collingwood has moved quickly to fill vacant coaching positions, signing Matthew Lappin and Craig McRae.

"I'm really excited to come to a club that has set the benchmark, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to work under Mick in 2011 and Nathan beyond that," McRae said.

"I'm passionate about working in player development and looking forward to working closely with what is an impressive Collingwood playing list, and helping the club improve further."

Setanta O'hAilpin is making the difference as a forward for the Blues after kicking 4.3 against Fremantle at Subiaco.

"I just think he gives us really good versatility in the forward line, in that if you put a big bloke on him, he marks the ball OK, but he's better at ground level than most big blokes, so if the ball hits the deck sometimes he can be too nimble for a centre half-back," Blues assistant coach Matthew Lappin said.

"That comes from his hurling days, when you've got to bend over and pick the ball up and whack it 100 metres while some bloke's hitting you with a stick. He's been getting better forward each week, and he's really lively. I think what he brings to our forward line is a bit of an `X factor'.''