With the retirement of Peter Everitt a senior berth as a back-up ruckman beckoned for one of the club’s young talls and White wasn’t about to let the opportunity slide.
Some encouraging pre-season efforts, including a particularly strong NAB Challenge game against the Western Bulldogs, ensured the 21-year-old Queensland product earned first crack at the position.
And he hasn’t looked back.
An excellent game against Hawthorn in round two has been the highlight of a campaign in which White has made himself an integral part of the Swans’ line-up, relieving Darren Jolly in the ruck and drifting forward for important goals.
“It’s been really good for me because I know that I’m not just in the side because someone like ‘Spida’ Everitt can’t play,” White said in the lead-up to Saturday’s game against Fremantle at Subiaco.
“I’m in there because I’ve earned the spot and it’s made me a better player.
“It’s a crunch year for me; it’s my third year here and it’s my time to step up. It’s really my last year to show the club that I want to be here, so I’m giving it all I can.”
Should White’s season continue in the same rich vein of form, it will justify his decision to choose an AFL career over the lure of playing basketball in the US.
Former Swans star Mark Browning – now the AFLQ’s talent manager – was a key factor in convincing him that footy was a viable alternative to basketball.
He impressed the scouts with his efforts for Queensland in the 2006 under-18 national carnival and the Swans swooped late in that year’s draft, selecting him at No.79.
“It wasn’t until the under-18s that I really started to speak to the AFL coaches and then it became more real to me, that I could have a career playing footy,” White said.
“They were really keen to keep me interested in footy and they thought I could make it. In the end, I enjoyed playing footy a bit more than I enjoyed playing basketball.”
White credits his basketball background with helping him adapt to the demands of modern football.
“Being a big guy, it’s helped with my movement and agility and especially with jumping in the ruck,” he said.
“With the new circle, I’m much more used to jumping off two steps than taking a big run-up like they used to.”
And he’ll need every inch of that leap on Saturday when he faces off against Fremantle giant Aaron Sandilands in the centre circle.
“He’s a big boy – I reckon I might need a ladder to get up near him,” White said with a laugh.
“He’s got his strengths and I’ve got some different strengths that I’ve just got to make the most of. He’s tall, but I might have him covered for speed around the ground.
“But he’s a big threat and it’s a great opportunity to show what I can do against that kind of opposition.”
