The penny-drop moment in Lachie Whitfield's AFL career was public and shameful, but it had a lasting effect on the Greater Western Sydney young gun.
Whitfield will soon tick off the first of what he hopes to be many milestones, playing game No.100 when GWS host Essendon at Spotless Stadium on Saturday.
The occasion has given Whitfield, uprooted from Mornington in Victoria to western Sydney when he was taken with pick No.1 in the 2012 draft, a chance to reflect on his AFL journey.
The 23-year-old has featured in two preliminary-final defeats and suffered plenty of injuries, however his most difficult challenge has been a six-month suspension for bringing the game into disrepute.
Whitfield was barred from training with GWS during the 2017 pre-season as part of the league's sanctions for attempting to evade a drug test.
"I've enjoyed footy a lot more since that and definitely don't take it for granted," he told reporters on Tuesday.
"I'm very thankful for the club for helping me through that.
"It was obviously a big learning curve for me and it's definitely benefited my football, training standards and day-to-day living."
Whitfield put his time in exile to good use, enlisting the help of boxer Sam Soliman in private sparring sessions. Soliman's mentorship helped Whitfield win more contested footy but also led to other changes.
"Probably the main change is his attitude to maximising every minute he's at the footy club. He can be seen as a little bit laconic at times," GWS coach Leon Cameron said.
"We love that about him.
"It can sometimes probably look like he's not fully invested in his training, but I think (that's changed) probably since 12 months ago."
Whitfield has been among the 11th-placed Giants' few success stories in 2018, reinventing himself as a rebounding defender in the absence of Zac Williams (achilles injury) and Nathan Wilson (traded to Fremantle last year).
"We played our best quarter of the season in that second quarter (against North Melbourne), it's just inconsistency," Whitfield said.
