Midway through his third season at the Giants in 2016, the big man was fed up with life in Sydney, despite having a further year to run on his contract, and has revealed he was tempted by a possible move back to Perth to be with his family.

As the season wore on, West Coast and Fremantle lined up for his services ahead of the trade period: the Eagles desperate to strengthen their ruck stocks after Nic Naitanui's knee reconstruction and the Dockers eyeing a long-term replacement for veteran Aaron Sandilands.

"There was that temptation to go home," Lobb said. "I was finding Sydney life pretty hard with the living and the traffic; it's a really busy lifestyle.

"I had one more year [to go on his contract]. My whole family's back there.

"When you've only got one more year on your contract, there's going to be a lot of talk about if I'm going to get traded or try to go home. It's good to have interest from other clubs because, obviously, I'm doing something right on the field.

"It drives me to improve even more and go up another level."

Before the trade period rolled around, Lobb re-signed with the Giants, just 10 days after the club's heartbreaking six-point loss to the Western Bulldogs in the preliminary final.

A man of lesser fortitude might have taken that as the tipping point to request a trade and switch to a more comfortable city. But for Lobb, who, at 207 centimetres, is the tallest man on the Giants' list, that loss only galvanised his resolve to win a premiership with GWS.

"To come so close last year, we were a top-four side and I just had to stay," he said. "I love the boys, I love the club and it was an easy decision in the end.

"I started to settle down towards the end of the year. When we hit finals, I was feeling really comfortable and I've just gone from there.

"They [my family] just supported me and said 'do what's right for your career'. The best for my career was to stay here.

"It definitely hurt, that prelim; we lost by a goal. We aim high and the boys are pretty disappointed about it. We went away and then came back and we reviewed the game  and it actually hurt even more to watch it.

"That's what's been driving us this pre-season. All the boys are working hard. We know we got that far, but it's another whole season and we've got to just start all over again."

Lobb has put on three kilograms this pre-season and once again looms as Mr Versatility for the Giants with coach Leon Cameron seemingly in no hurry to pigeonhole his prize asset.

He was second in the AFL for contested marks last season and spent time deep in the forward line and down back, in the ruck, on the wing and even on the ball.

Equally adept at complementing key forwards Jeremy Cameron and Jonathon Patton up forward as he is plugging a key defensive post, Lobb looms as one of the key men again for GWS this season.

"I had a breakout year last year and Leon acknowledged it," Lobb said.

"I don't know what Leon wants from me at the moment – it's just make sure I can play, be versatile as much as I was last year, but with that extra weight.

"He challenged me. He said you can stay at that level or challenge yourself more and go again."