Wisdom acquired from 12 seasons of elite football – two of them on the sidelines – helped Nic Naitanui to build his most imposing body of work in the game.

Of course, it goes without saying, the powerful big man would have preferred to bypass two major knee surgeries that paused his career, but he used that time wisely, broadening his knowledge of the ruck craft and studying his greatest rivals as he plotted his return to the game.

The slogan ‘work smarter, not harder’ could well be plastered on some of the walls of his Perth home because he has personified that maxim since his return.

Whether it has been while recovering from his well-documented knee reconstructions or from the 2020 unseen enemy, COVID-19, he took the opportunity to prepare both body and mind to unleash the most dominant season of his career.

In both 2016 and 2018 when recuperating, Naitanui spent periods in the coaches box studying opponents and filing away that information, adding even more intelligence to the most imposing figure in football.

During the re-structured 2020 pre-season and then the enforced 10-week break as the tentacles of the COVID pandemic reached the most isolated country on the planet, forcing us into lock-down, Naitanui refused to lay idle.

He worked independently and with his designated training partner Liam Duggan to propel himself to new levels, which was recognised on three fronts.

The game’s marquee player not only won West Coast’s Club Champion Award, but secured his second all-Australian blazer and was also named the Eagles’ Player of the Finals – albeit in a game that left Naitanui and his teammates devastated.

“To fight through adversity and the constant changes through the year was a gallant effort by the staff and players, but to lose an elimination final is not the ideal way to finish,” Naitanui offered.

“A lot of people said that was one of the games of the year. I guess when it’s that close, involving two quality sides, they will say that, but if you don’t come away with the win it’s not an epic game.

“It was the toughest year I have played. On- field, the shorter turnarounds and then being away for so long, the constant adaptation to things that were changing and being restricted at home, mentally it was definitely the toughest thing.

“Then to be in the leadership group and help prepare younger guys – even though we didn’t know what was going on – trying to give them the confidence that we did know, was tough as well.”

While the cerebral Naitanui studied up on opponents, carefully dissecting their attributes when he was sidelined, he also called on his personal memories and insights of the only other ruckman in club history to win the Worsfold Medal.

Dean Cox, who was crowned the 2008 Club Champion just a couple of months before Naitanui was drafted, reinvented his own game in the twilight of his stellar career, calling on his experience to work his way around those aspiring to dethrone him.

“I was lucky to watch Dean Cox late in his career,” Naitanui said in assessing his season.

“Coxy got a bit slower and a bit wider, but he found ways to trick his opponents, outwork them and outsmart them.

“He’s someone I still speak to every couple of weeks for some of his ruck knowledge, but also how to combat others who try to nullify me. It’s more ruck smarts; more substance to the way I ruck.

“I think my injuries might extend my career to some degree, without the bash and crash of playing footy every week. If I continue to be diligent with my rehab and everything I do, I will be right to play the next few years.

“This year was looking pretty bleak after we played round one and we weren’t sure if we were going to come back. Spending a couple of years in the coaches box helped me pick up a few little tricks that I could use when I came back to playing footy every week.

“My consistency was pleasing, being able to play the majority of games. I didn’t miss any games through injury. I missed one when rested, but coming off the back of having no surgery in the off-season and having a pre- season which I hadn’t done in a while, I felt pretty good out there.

“It’s rare that some of the old boys win it. I’m 30 now, but it’s still a massive honour. It’s named after Woosha who coached me in the early years, but I think it means a bit more to those people who have been around who have helped me along my journey.

“I’m very honoured. I think it’s my most consistent season. To play every game bar one is testament to our medical group and for them to get me onto the park to play every week is massive.

“I have been able to get out there a lot more often. I didn’t have surgery at the end of the last season, so to get a full run at the pre- season was helpful.”

Significantly the ‘band of brothers’ who were denied the opportunity to play in the 2018 premiership – Naitanui, midfielder Andrew Gaff and defender Brad Sheppard – filled the podium positions in the Club Champion count.

Poignantly, the oft-forgotten figure from the group of senior players who could not play in the club’s fourth premiership, key defender Eric Mackenzie, also featured during the award ceremony when he was afforded life membership.

Mackenzie retired at the end of the 2018 campaign and has spent the last 12 months studying in Switzerland, but the other three have been driven to experience first-hand the exuberance of premiership elation.

“The boys who were in the top three were the three who watched on in 2018 and weren’t able to partake in that grand final win, along with Eric Mackenzie,” Naitanui said.

“It just shows how hungry we are as a team, but in particular us three.

“We’re leading the charge.”