Nic Naitanui reckons the AFL shutdown period could be the perfect opportunity for West Coast to get an edge on its rivals before the resumption of season 2020.

Speaking to westcoasteagles.com.au, the superstar ruckman said he believed the teams that buckled down and nailed their remote training programs could flourish when footy returned later this year.

However, he acknowledged getting the work done would prove harder for some players than others.

“It’s not like our typical off-season program where we can go and utilise other places outside, we’ve just got to do it at home in our backyards and do weights,” Naitanui said.

“A lot of onus comes on the players. It will be a bit easier for us older players, the guys who have been there for a while, but for the younger guys it’s going to be tough because you are training on your own and for some of the guys they have never done that before.

“It’ll be a real testing time, but it’s an opportunity to get an edge on the rest of the competition as well.”

If he’s not charging around a park or pumping some iron, Naitanui intends to spend his time in isolation connecting with the wider public through social media.

With the support of West Coast Eagles inclusion and diversity partner BHP, Naitanui recently launched an Instagram Live series where he discusses topics including but not limited to mental health and resilience with some of Australia’s most influential individuals.

To date he has already spoken to international soccer star Sam Kerr, AFL legend Anthony Koutoufides, actress Lynn McGranger and Tame Impala frontman Kevin Parker.

Separately, he is also endeavouring to keep in touch with members of his Naitanui Academy by producing a number of instructional videos to keep their skills up during this challenging period.

“We are just pumping out a bunch of videos with a few players just doing a bit of skill work, just things that people can do around the house,” Naitanui said.

“It sounds simple, but as footballers it’s what we used to do as children, kicking a pair of socks as a footy around the house and through the hallways. I would tap a thousand balls in the backyard as a ruckman.

“It’s things that you would have normally done, but putting it in a program where you can keep pushing content out to some of those kids who are stuck at home, because there’s nothing worse than getting stuck inside those four walls.

“There is only so much Playstation you can play throughout the week.”