Whitlock impresses North Melbourne during debut AFL pre-season according to Barlow

After being selected with the last pick of the first round, the towering twin has faced a whirlwind of media, training sessions, match simulations and recovery; all while adapting to life outside school.

Two and a half months into his career at the Kangaroos, Whitlock found himself back in the Goulburn Valley with his new teammates as part of a junior clinic on Monday.

Speaking to The News, Whitlock said he knew first-hand how much children loved these opportunities to meet their heroes.

“It’s pretty surreal (running the clinic),” Whitlock said.

“I remember when I was a little boy not too long ago and Josh Daicos came to my school and now I am in that situation, which is pretty cool.”

Having officially moved into his new house — organised by the club — with fellow draftee Finn O’Sullivan, Whitlock is settling into the Melbourne lifestyle.

However, there are a few aspects of living in Shepparton that he misses.

“Growing up on the river and in a country town, to go to Melbourne traffic, it’s a lot different,” he said.

“But (living in Melbourne is) a new experience, which I am enjoying.”

During his first AFL pre-season, Whitlock has already impressed his senior teammates.

All-Australian key forward and North Melbourne star Nick Larkey mentioned his admiration for Whitlock’s physicality and competitiveness at training in an interview prior to Christmas.

Whitlock said a number of senior Kangaroos players had helped him adjust to life at the top level.

“(There are) a lot of the senior boys I look up to, I could probably name about five or six,” he said.

“Playing on Nick Larkey has definitely been something that has taken a lot of learning and it has definitely helped me out a lot.

“I have been playing a lot more as a defender, started a little bit forward, but now settling down back.”

During his breaks from the club, the young swingman has enjoyed returning to Shepparton to hang out with friends and family.

With the Roos’ first official practice match a tick over two weeks away, the training sessions have switched from pre-season mode to the real deal.

North Melbourne's practice game will be held against West Coast in Bunbury in regional Western Australia.

The trip west will be the second time Whitlock has travelled with the Kangaroos interstate, as the young gun becomes more accustomed to life on the road.

“We went up north (to the Gold Coast for a camp) and finished our pre-season on Saturday, getting ready for the season now, which is exciting,“ he said.

“We will see how I go across the next two weeks and hopefully I can put my best foot forward.

“It will take a while to develop but I am keen to play as soon as I can.”

Michael setting the bar high for 2025

One of the Goulburn Valley’s best football exports and ambassador for Whitlock’s potential is former Fremantle star and current North Melbourne development coach Michael Barlow.

A former Shepparton United gun, Barlow said he always reflected fondly when driving through the streets of his old home town.

“I love getting back to the GV,” Barlow said.

“I actually don’t get back as much as I would like to, as my family have all moved down to Warnambool so I couldn’t be much further away.

“There is a lot of nostalgia when I come back in terms of the cricket and footy ovals that you drive past.

“Lots of childhood memories for me and it is pretty cool that the Kangas are here and have been all around the community with schools and clinics.”

As a development coach at the Roos, one of Barlow’s main roles is to help nurture and grow the club’s cornucopia of young guns.

Barlow said the acquisition of Whitlock during last year’s draft would benefit the Roos in the long term.

“(Whitlock) has been one that has jumped up pretty quickly and impressed and will look to get an opportunity across the year,” he said.

“You can already see his natural tendencies to understand the game.

“His frame and physical attributes will pop pretty quickly.

“He looks one who — not to put too much pressure on him — (will) be a player for a long period and the club will invest a lot of time and resources into him.”

The 37-year-old has continued his football career in recent seasons with North Warrnambool in the Hampden League.

Heading into another season of community football, Barlow didn’t rule out a return to his beloved Shepparton United.

“If I play footy ongoing, which I don’t have a huge amount of time for, it will either be at Shepp United or down in Warrnambool,” he said.

“I played (at United) a couple of years ago, just out of COVID I reckon, a game in years back-to-back, which I loved.

“Maybe; you never say never.”

Now in his second year of coaching in an AFL system, the former Docker and Gold Coast Sun is more comfortable in his role developing the Roos’ bright shoots of talent.

Although it may not be for a while, Barlow said he did have an interest in pursuing an AFL senior coaching gig somewhere down the line.

“Having coached my own side at Werribee, I enjoyed that challenge and there is a part of coaching which is so stimulating,” he said.

“In the AFL they are hard gigs to get and I still have some work to do in terms of doing this job really well and other exposure in other roles, but it is something I have my eye towards, but not something I am concentrating on minute by minute.

“I just want to do what I am doing right now as well as I can for as long as I can.”