JESSE White is well aware of just how close he came to joining Adelaide when the Sydney Swans were trying to land Kurt Tippett late last year.
Offered as trade bait to help the Swans secure the former Crow, White flew to Adelaide for talks, but the deal fell through and instead the key forwards ended up as teammates in Sydney.
White admits it was a tough time, but having made only three senior appearances in 2012, he was prepared to make a move to further his career.
Once that didn't eventuate, he entered this season initially thinking his chances of playing time could be limited.
In a side containing Adam Goodes, Sam Reid, Shane Mumford, Mike Pyke and Lewis Roberts-Thomson, with Tippett available mid-season, White knew he was well back in the pecking order.
"At the start of the year, I thought it was going to be a tough year for me," he said.
"With the amount of talls that we have, I just had to look at my strengths and what I could add to the side."
It turns out he only had to bide his time.
The 25-year-old played one senior game over the opening 10 rounds of the season, but a series of injuries then left the door wide open.
With Goodes, Reid and Roberts-Thomson all currently sidelined, White has featured in four of the club's past five matches.
Used as a second-half substitute against Greater Western Sydney on Sunday, he took five marks and kicked three goals to virtually ensure he will retain his place against West Coast this week.
It's his best run since playing the final five games of the 2011 season.
"At the end of last year, it was all about opportunity," he said. "That's what I was looking for.
"That possibility (of joining Adelaide) came up, but now I'm playing senior footy here.
"We've got four talls playing at once (Mumford, Pyke, Tippett and himself), so I'm not really worried about the height.
"It doesn't have to be key forward, I've been playing up the ground and using my speed and trying to run."
White's links with Tippett are remarkable and go well beyond a possible trade scenario late last year.
White actually convinced Tippett to try his hand at football when they were teenagers back in Queensland.
"I've known him since I was 10," White said.
"We were playing rep basketball and I was saying to him 'you should come across and give (football) a go'.
"From then on we played Queensland footy together and both got drafted."
That was in 2006, when Tippett was selected 32nd overall by the Crows and the Swans used pick 79 on White.
Since his debut in 2008, White has made 61 appearances for the Swans and is aware he has been the subject of some criticism.
Branded a major talent that failed to do the work required, he concedes there was some truth to that perception.
"Growing up I was quicker and stronger than lots of kids and I didn't really have to work hard for it," he said.
"You get through on your size or your athletic ability, but when it comes to the AFL, everyone is the same.
"It comes down to whether you want to work hard enough."
Under coach John Longmire, White feels his training standards have improved dramatically.
Off contract at the end of the year, he knows crunch time has arrived if he is to remain with the club.
"Talking to my manager about it, it's how I play right now," he said.
"There's some good opportunities for me to play senior footy now and that's all I'm focusing on.
"I know that if I play well and keep producing for the side, good things can come from it."
James Dampney is a reporter for AFL Media. Follow him on Twitter @AFL_JD
