New Gold Coast SUNS recruit Jarrad Grant will see a lot of familiar faces when he walks into Metricon Stadium for the first time.
 
The former No. 5 draft pick was selected by list manager Scott Clayton and recruiting boss Dom Ambrogio when the pair worked at the Western Bulldogs and his first coach was Rodney Eade.
 
And the connections don’t stop there for the 25-year-old, with the tall utility spending his last two seasons at the Whitten Oval under the guidance of new Gold Coast high performance coach Justin Cordy.
 
After eight years and 81 games at the Western Bulldogs the Victorian side recently delisted Grant despite him playing 19 games in 2015.
 
Now, a handful of familiar faces have thrown him a lifeline. An opportunity Grant is grateful for and ready to grasp with both hands.
 
“I’ve worked with all those guys before, so it’s fantastic that they’ve put their faith in me again bringing me up. I’m just excited that I’m getting another opportunity at AFL level,” Grant told goldcoastfc.com.au.
 
“I think the Gold Coast team is going to significantly improve on last year – obviously hampered by injury a lot. I think the club is in an exciting place and is only going to improve in the future.
 
“Working under Justin [Cordy] the last two years has been great for me personally. He has got me in the best shape I’ve been in during my career, so I’m looking forward to working with him again on the Gold Coast.”
 
Having spent the bulk of 2015 on a wing under Luke Beveridge, Grant revealed that the SUNS signed him on the premise of playing him as a tall, high half forward – someone who plays between the arcs.
 
“More of a permanent forward, rather than wing which I played this year,” Grant said.
 
“The prior seven years that I’ve played have all been in the forward line so probably as that third tall being able to get high up the ground and also work back as well.”
 
Grant has his eyes fixed on earning a spot in Gold Coast’s new look forward setup, and the Dandenong Stingrays product is excited by the prospect of going to work with 2015 club champion Tom Lynch and last year’s pick No. 8 Peter Wright, who played three games in his debut season and is set for more game time in the near future given the departure of power forward Charlie Dixon.
 
“Tom’s very impressive, only from being an onlooker, but he can catch the ball and looks like he’s got a great work rate,” Grant said.
 
“And Peter’s obviously only had the one year, but it takes a little while for the talls to really make their mark. He’s actually managed by the same management as me, so my manager’s been a big wrap for him, so hopefully he’s in for a big year.”