Lachie Whitfield enjoyed re-living his teenage years at home across the AFL shutdown but has now returned to Sydney ready for a season he thinks it would be more impressive than ever to win.

The smooth-moving half-back returned to his parents’ home in Mount Martha on the Mornington Peninsula when the competition came to a sudden stop following round one.

“I spent the majority of isolation in Melbourne at my parents’ place so it was a good five weeks down there,” he told GIANTS TV.

“I actually quite enjoyed it. In the midst of a bad situation, it was good to be back in with Mum and Dad.  

“Being able to spend time with them and re-live the glory days of my teenage year getting home cooked meals and being back in my home town of Mount Martha was pretty fun.”

As the AFL (and the entire country) waits for further information about when and how restrictions will be lifted, Whitfield decided to return to Sydney to make sure he’s ready to go as soon as he’s allowed.

Plus, there was another non-football reason for the return to New South Wales.

“I didn’t miss Melbourne’s cold weather so it’s good to be back in Sydney. There’s more we can do up here … so it’s good to be back. 

“I didn’t know when or how fast we could be back in training so I wanted to be ready for that.

“The quality of training I can get in Sydney was more than in Melbourne with access to gym equipment and training in partners, being up here with teammates, so it’s been easier to have a good kick with someone.  

“Plus, there’s no golf in Melbourne and there’s golf in Sydney so that was definitely a factor.”

While some think the changed format of this season - already reduced from 22 games to 17 - means winning this year’s Premiership wouldn’t be as fulfilling as usual, Whitfield sees it as the complete opposite. 

“The way the first few games after this break pan out, it will really show who has shown really good commitment over this time off,” he said.

“A few games here or there can really separate the ladder and then if you get home finals that’s a big difference as well so I think it’s going to be much harder this year. 

"I’ve heard a few things about it being an asterisked season but if anything, I think it should be a positive asterisk. 

“If you can win this year, you’ve shown a lot of resilience and it’d be pretty impressive I think so I’m hoping that’s us this year.”