The former Essendon and Richmond midfielder will link up with triple NWFL reigning premiers Burnie in 2021, coming out of retirement in attempt to add to the 2005 premiership medallion he has in his possession from his first stint at West Park before being drafted.

Having had a small role in Burnie's five flag run in the NTFL, he said he was keen to be part of another multiple premiership streak for the club.

"I am really excited to get back,'' the 32-year-old said.

"I had hung the boots up and did think that was it for me, but this is really exciting for me as I will be able to finish once and for all back where it all started.

"Not that there was any footy over here [in Melbourne due to the COVID-19 lockdown] this year, but I realised [during that time] it was something that I missed and I just wanted to have one more go at trying to win a flag and finish on a good note.

"I'd had other clubs contact me here in Melbourne [where he has been working as a new homes consultant] to see if I had really retired, but I had no real desire to play anywhere, but after getting chatting to Brent [Burnie coach Brent Plant] he laid a bit of a seed [that it could happen] and I kept thinking about it and it went from there."

Hislop said a close relationship with the Plant family had helped ensure the idea of returning to the Dockers could take place.

While the year off from footy has his body feeling like "it is a lot younger than it actually is", he admitted it would be "a weird feeling" to return to West Park in a playing capacity.

"It has probably been 15 years I would think, but it will be good to get back as I still have a lot of friends that I grew up with and went to school with down there and it will be good to get them along to the games,'' he said.

"But it will be a weird feeling, and hopefully early on it won't be one of those really cold and windy West Park days."

Hislop said he was looking forward to giving back to the club and its younger players and use his AFL experience to help them.

"This is something that Brent and I have discussed about getting around the younger boys and at the start giving them an idea about my story about starting in Burnie and being lucky enough to get drafted and the things that I did well and probably didn't do well,'' he said.

"On the field it will be about helping out any of the young players that really want some assistance, so I will be going down there with a really keen attitude to try to get to know everyone that I don't know there and try to help out and have as much input that Brent wants."

Hislop was originally the 20th pick in the 2006 national draft, playing seven games in two seasons at Essendon, before Richmond gave him a second chance with the 58th pick in the 2008 national draft.

He then had a 20 game stint between 2009 and 2011 in the yellow and black at Punt Road.