 In 2005, Whitnall turned around his previous weight problems and came out looking as fit as he had ever been.He performed very well during 2005 and 2006, playing predominately as the senior member of the Blues' young backline.He capped off a solid 2006 with victory in the Blues' best and fairest (the John Nicholls Medal), and at the age of 27, Whitnall became the second youngest Carlton player (after Robert Walls) to play 200 AFL games.