Young gun Lachie Whitfield is set to play his 50th AFL match when the GIANTS play Carlton at Spotless Stadium on Saturday.

Whitfield, who was drafted with the number one pick in the 2012 NAB AFL Draft, has enjoyed his best season to date, averaging 22 disposals and seven marks per match.

“It’s obviously snuck up quite fast on me, it seems like I haven’t been here for that long so it’s good to get the 50 games under my belt,” Whitfield said.

“There were a lot of highs and a lot of lows in my first season because we only got the one win that year.

“My second season was very injury interrupted so it was also very frustrating.

“This season has been a bit better because I’ve been able to string together games and found my feet and a bit of form.

“I’ve loved every bit of it. I love Sydney. I love the club. I’ll be here for a long time.”

Whitfield said he noticed a great deal of improvement this season, both on and off the field.

“They way we are maturing both as footballers and people is quite a highlight… bringing older people into the club with a bit of experience has definitely helped,” he said.

“There’s two games left so we’ll try and finish them off the best we can.

“Obviously a grand final is the one thing we all want to get so no matter how long it takes we’re all here for the same reason and we all want to get there together.

“We’ll put in a big pre-season this summer and hopefully have a crack at getting closer next year.

“The hard yards are being put in now and the success if ahead of us.”

The 21-year-old played 19 games this season including a best-on-ground performance against Sydney in Round 3 where he accumulated 37 touches, eight marks and one goal.

The GIANTS play Carlton at Spotless Stadium on Saturday at 1.45pm. Tickets available here.