Richmond superstar Dustin Martin is adamant on-field results will still mean as much during the coronavirus-affected 2020 season.
The Tigers' flag defence was put on hold in March after just one round because of the COVID-19 lockdown.
Even with the fixture slashed to 17 rounds, quarters shortened and fans indefinitely barred from attending games, Martin believes winning is still a significant achievement.
"It's certainly going to be different but it will certainly mean just as much," the two-time Norm Smith medallist told AAP.
"And who knows, we might be playing in front of people in a few months.
"We're all competitive beasts. Every time we go out onto the oval we all want to win, whether there's a crowd or not.
"That goes right across the League."
While relishing a return to Punt Road for training on Monday, the 28-year-old made the most of his more than six weeks away from football.
"I really enjoyed the downtime, to be honest. Life gets pretty busy a lot of the time, so it was good to just slow down and simplify life a little bit," Martin said.
"I made sure I got up really early every morning, banged out all my training. That usually takes up most of the morning."
Boasting an experienced group, many of whom have featured in six of the last seven finals series, Richmond's players knew the high standards expected of them from coach Damien Hardwick while in lockdown.
"Our older guys are good at checking in on the younger guys," Martin said.
"It wasn't over the top, just every now and then to ensure everyone's fine.
"(Hardwick) has great trust in the group, which we've built over the years, so all the boys attacked their training really well."
