Jesse White’s impressive end to 2009 earned him the tag of the Swans’ next big thing but the athletic forward is ignoring the hype.

After starting the year as a back-up ruckman to Darren Jolly, White finished the season in style as a key forward.

A bag of four against Carlton heralded his potential and three final-round goals against the Lions earned White a NAB Rising Star nomination.

But despite his breakthrough season, White says he is far from the finished product.

Instead, he is focused on having his best pre-season yet so he can continue his development.

“Over the off-season, I looked after myself a bit better and came back injury-free and feeling pretty good,” White said.

“That’s one of the biggest things I’ve learnt coming into the AFL - that the pre-season really sets you up for the season.

“I’m looking forward to having a good one and getting some good kilometres into my legs and coming into the season as fit as I can be.”

With the departure of Barry Hall and Michael O’Loughlin, White looked set to shoulder a much greater load in the forward line in 2010.

However, the possible arrival of Daniel Bradshaw in December’s NAB AFL Pre-Season Draft will take some of the heat off the 21-year-old.

Bradshaw has already started training with the Swans and White said it would be a privilege to learn from such an accomplished footballer.

“I grew up in Brisbane and he was one of the guys that I looked up to as a forward,” White said.

“With Hally and Micky O leaving, I’ll need someone else to guide me along the way.

“We’ve been having a chat and we’re excited to see what we can do in the next season.

“I’m still in the development stage so I’m looking forward to picking their brains and going from there.”

Did you miss it? The Sydney Swans’ earliest start to pre-season training in seven years is already reaping rewards, with the majority of players taking part in every session, read more.