Jesse White (footballer)

Jesse White
File:White signs autographs.jpg White signs autographs with Collingwood in 2014
Personal information
Full name	Jesse White
Date of birth	(1988-01-09) 9 January 1988
Place of birth	Melbourne, Australia
Original team(s)	Southport (QAFL)
Draft	#79, 2006 National Draft, Sydney
Height/Weight	197cm / 107kg
Position(s)	Forward
Club information
Current club	Collingwood
Number	9
Playing career1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
2007–2013 2014– Total	Sydney Collingwood	071 0(73) 036 0(47) 107 (120)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2015 season.
Career highlights
2009 AFL Rising Star nominee

Jesse Jackson White (born 9 January 1988) is an Australian rules footballer for the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League. He was drafted to the Sydney Swans on 25 November 2006 with selection 79.

Early life and Basketball

White was born in Melbourne, Victoria to a father who previously played in the Victorian Football Association and a mother that played in the Women's National Basketball League. The family moved to the Gold Coast, Queensland when White was two years old. He attended John Paul College during his high school years. White was first selected to represent Queensland in Basketball at the under 12s level and continued to make representative teams up until the under 18s level. As a basketballer, White was judged the 'player of the championships' while competing for Queensland at the 2005 national schoolboys basketball carnival. Later that year he rejected a scholarship offer from the Australian Institute of Sport to concentrate on football.

Junior football

White played his junior football at the Surfers Paradise Australian Football Club on the Gold Coast. He was selected to represent Queensland in 2004 at the under 16s level. He remained at Surfers Paradise up until the under 16s level when he made the switch to the Southport Australian Football Club to play under 18s and senior football. Despite having a good year for the Southport Sharks and the under 18s Queensland team, White was overlooked in the 2005 AFL Draft. He remained at Southport for the 2006 season where he achieved a QAFL premiership and was a standout performer in Queensland's victorious run at the 2006 AFL Under 18 Championships. White's outstanding season would see him be drafted by the Sydney Swans with the 79th pick in the 2006 AFL Draft.

AFL career

Sydney

Despite playing in a trial match against Collingwood, a NAB Cup match against Western Bulldogs, and a trial match against Richmond during the 2007 pre-season, White didn't make his league debut until Rd 6, 2008. It was a controversial debut, with White mistakenly entering the playing field before Darren Jolly left the field in the final minutes of their drawn match against North Melbourne. The AFL fined Sydney $50,000 for having an extra man on the field for approximately 18 seconds.

Move up forward

Jesse White was groomed as a replacement in the forward line in life after Barry Hall and Michael O'Loughlin. However, in 2009 when Everitt retired, White was often called into the side as a second ruckman, but failed to impact the game. After Sydney spearhead Barry Hall's retirement, White was moved back into the forward line to give it a boost of strength with considerable success, kicking 4 goals in his first match as a permanent forward. White's main strength is his considerable speed for a man of his size, and causes many defenders headaches. He has played and arguably out-done some of the top defenders in the AFL such as Matthew Scarlett, in a game in Sydney late in the year where White kicked three goals. Jesse then signed a three-year contract extension with the Sydney Swans that would keep him out of reach of the new Gold Coast club.

In 2010, White didn't manage to play quite to the level expected of him though he did provide a few highlights. He took one of the marks of the year against North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium leaping over Lachie Hansen. In 2011, due to the new sub rule, White has had to again play as a pinch-hitting ruckmen rotating in the forward line. He has struggled for consistency but in Round 22 in a crucial game against St Kilda, White performed strongly kicking a goal and having a presence.

Despite being strongly linked with a trade to Adelaide at the conclusion of 2012 in exchange for unsettled star Crow Kurt Tippett, White remained at the Swans.

In 2013, White had his best season thus far at Sydney scoring 20 goals in 15 games.

Collingwood

On October 21, White moved to Collingwood in a three-way trade which saw draft picks exchanged between the Sydney Swans, West Coast Eagles and Collingwood Magpies.

Rising star award nomination

In Round 22 of the 2009 AFL season, White was awarded the final nomination for the 2009 AFL Rising Star award.

Statistics

Statistics are correct to the end of the 2014 season

Season	Team	#	Games	G	B	K	H	D	M	T	G	B	K	H	D	M	T
			Totals								Averages (per game)
2008	Sydney	18	2	0	0	5	4	9	5	5	0.0	0.0	2.5	2	4.5	2.5	2.5
2009	Sydney	18	18	20	13	86	56	142	72	20	1.1	0.7	4.8	3.1	7.9	4	1.1
2010	Sydney	18	20	22	12	87	81	168	65	20	1.1	0.6	4.4	4.1	8.5	3.3	1
2011	Sydney	18	13	9	1	54	48	102	26	39	0.6	0.4	12.1	11.0	23.1	4.5	3.1
2012	Sydney	18	3	2	0	19	10	29	12	7	0.7	0.0	6.3	3.3	9.6	4	2.3
2013	Sydney	18	15	20	12	109	81	190	72	26	1.3	0.8	7.3	5.4	12.7	4.8	1.7
2014	Collingwood	18	18	20	14	126	63	189	59	38	1.1	0.8	7	3.3	10.3	3.3	2.1
Career			89	93	62	486	343	829	311	155	1	0.7	5.5	3.8	9.3	3.5	1.7

External links

• Jesse White's profile on the official website of the Collingwood Football Club
• Jesse White's statistics from AFL Tables