During the past two seasons, Collingwood's loose-limbed recruit Jesse White worked out what was required to flourish among the AFL chaos.

After displaying up-and-down form for four years, White realised he needed to work harder to realise his natural talent.

So he rolled up the sleeves.

Soon enough he was forming habits that were positive for his football.

He put one good pre-season behind him leading into 2012, but the opportunity to play senior football that year rarely came his way. He played just three games and was not part of the premiership team.

Amid the euphoria of a flag, hardly any outsiders noticed White's career had stabilised and was suddenly on a linear path, with any dips more likely to be seen on his picnic rug than on his form graph.

So when his name became linked to the Crows as part of the soon-to-be controversial Kurt Tippett trade at the end of 2012, most scoffed at the prospect.

However as far as the quick 196cm forward was concerned, it was a done deal and he was on his way from the Sydney Swans to Adelaide.

"I thought it was all rosy. I thought it was all going through. I had signed my half of the deal and it was all looking pretty positive and it came to the deadline of the trade period and it all fell through," White told AFL.com.au.

As is well known now, Tippett's contract with Adelaide became the subject of an AFL investigation and the trade was scuttled.

Luckily for White he had one season left on his contract with the Swans so he had the option to stay, meaning he avoided – barely, it needs to be said – becoming collateral damage.

"It was a very difficult time, but I went away straight away just to regroup," White said.

White and his fiancée Jodi - who comes from Adelaide - went to Hamilton Island in Queensland to soak up some sun and ensure that meeting a 'wrong way, go back' sign did not drive him away from the game.

He returned to Sydney determined to build upon the habits he had developed in 2012: another good pre-season and high training standards.

He ignored the limelight, didn't really discuss in public forums what had happened and got on with the business of becoming a better player. If his resilience and commitment had been questioned in the past it would not be again.

Suddenly, premiership forward Sam Reid injured his quad in the middle of 2013.

Then Adam Goodes went down injured as well, and a spot became available for White - a player many still considered an enigma – to take.

He played his second game for the season in round 11 and this time he was ready when opportunity knocked.

"(Better) training standards week to week means you become a lot more confident in your ability," White said.

"I played a few more different roles and they let me play a little more freely and use my attributes - my speed and size as a player - to start up the ground a bit further."

Collingwood saw what he was doing and began to express an interest in him. Early in the trade period – he became a Magpie and the Swans accepted pick No.44 in return.

He looks a prospect but he has not proved himself capable just yet.

Having teased before and then gone back into his shell, Collingwood's newest recruit knows he still has plenty to prove but he also suspects a foundation for good form has been built in the past two seasons.

"I grew in confidence last season and I can't wait to have another good pre-season and translate that for the Collingwood Football Club," White said.

Magpies coach Nathan Buckley was impressed with White's efforts in 2013 – particularly two of the three finals he played – and expects him to fill a forward-rucking role next year.

White has not been at his best playing the dual roles and admits he did not ruck much, other than at training, during 2013 but he is confident he can handle what is thrown his way.

Buckley's confidence in him was part of Collingwood's attraction, as well as the fact his family had moved back to Victoria (White was born in Melbourne but his family moved to the Gold Coast when he was young).

He also relishes the prospect of improving his contested marking by training alongside Ben Reid and Travis Cloke.

White will wear the No.18 left vacant by former teammate Darren Jolly, coincidentally the player he was linked with in a controversial debut when the Swans played the last 35 seconds of White's first game with 19 men on the ground White had run on the ground thinking he was replacing Jolly but Jolly had stayed on the ground. In the end the AFL ruled it was an innocent mistake but it put White into the headlines early.



And now he has arrived in a footy town, he can expect interest in him to escalate.

"So far it's been crazy," White said.

"It's a little bit different and I am sure I will adjust to it."