Luke Power had a close relationship with Lachie Whitfield during his time spent at the GIANTS as an
Power, the three-time Brisbane premiership star and original GIANT, worked with Whitfield in his four years spent in the coaches' box from 2013-16, when at times he was the man in charge of the midfield group.
He then left the GIANTS to take over the reins at the AFL Academy, but his mentoring of Whitfield didn't end there.
When the gun wingman copped a six-month suspension at the end of 2016 for breaching League rules after he allegedly attempted to evade a drug test, he was barred from training with the GIANTS and was forced to do plenty of fitness work by himself.
It was during that punishment that Power and Whitfield reunited in Melbourne and their bond was strengthened.
Ahead of his 100th game against Essendon at Spotless Stadium on Saturday night, Power told AFL.com.au that Whitfield should be proud of the way he was able to work through the situation.
"I spent a lot of time with him in Melbourne and he's very highly regarded within my family," he said.
"We have a lot of time for him, he's a really good person from a really great family.
"While the ban wasn't a positive time for him, I guess he got to take some positives from it.
"He got to learn the discipline of training by himself and being able to do all that hard work."
Whitfield is best known for his running ability and quality foot skills on both sides of his body, but according to Power the 23-year-old's best qualities, his work ethic
"For a number one draft pick, he was always willing to sacrifice his own game to make the team better," he said.
"In this day and age people see all the tricks players have got and they probably look at his elite kicking, but Lachie has always known the value of doing things like covering for teammates and running defensively.
"That’s pretty impressive because usually when young players come into the AFL, especially when they're high-end talent, they're the other way around."
The loss of Nathan Wilson to Fremantle during last year's NAB AFL trade period, plus a serious Achilles injury for Zac Williams before the season began, meant coach Leon Cameron was forced to throw Whitfield into
He starred in his first few games across half-back and while he has since gone back into the midfield, Power wasn't surprised by Whitfield's impact in the new role.
"He knows the game really well, he sees the game unfolding really early and is lightning quick to react on transition," he said.
"He's ahead of most players on the ground in that area.
"I used to joke with the other coaches that he could probably coach me through a few things."
