WHEN Will White walked out of Ikon Park on February 20, he was gutted but grateful. Carlton had given him a shot, but the spot wasn’t his. Not yet. The pre-season supplemental selection period was closing the following day, but the situation shifted over the next 96 hours.

The Blues had five players fighting for the final list spot during the SSP after putting Matt Carroll back on the rookie list in January. Denver Grainger-Barras and Liam McMahon trained with the program full-time. Weights, meetings, everything. Francis Evans, Ethan Phillips and White did the main sessions after signing with the VFL team for 2025. 

Carlton list manager Nick Austin, recruiting boss Michael Agresta, GM Brad Lloyd and senior coach Michael Voss met with all five, one by one inside the match committee room on that Thursday afternoon in February, before providing former Geelong and Port Adelaide small forward Evans with a lifeline. 

Some dealt with the news better than others. White’s response – like Jai Culley’s at Melbourne which led to the same outcome – stuck in the minds of the decision-makers at Princes Park. Rather than spit the dummy, White went and thanked all the coaches for the opportunity. 

The window slammed shut the following afternoon, but it would be jimmied back open, albeit momentarily. Carlton hosted St Kilda in match simulation on the Saturday morning before the reserves faced Sandringham in the afternoon. Jagga Smith came off with a knee issue, but there was no indication it was serious. By late the next morning, the Blues were left shocked when a precautionary scan revealed the 2024 pick No.3 had innocuously ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament. 

Carlton had addressed a list need by signing a small forward, but when AFL player movement boss Ned Guy gave the green light for the Blues and Demons to add one more player each after injuries over the weekend, Austin picked up the phone and summoned White to Voss' office.

"Unfortunately, with what happened with Jagga, I got a phone call. That was a nervous car ride going into the club to Vossy's office," White told AFL.com.au after the win over Geelong. "The smile on their faces when I walked in told the story. They gave me a big hug and told me straight away. That was the best moment of my life so far. 

"When I got the bad news that I didn't get picked up I thought to myself straight away, 'It was any boy's dream that I got to train with these AFL lads and the way they embraced me', so I just said to myself, 'I'm going to have a good day on Saturday. I just wanted to go out there and show everyone the person I was.'"

When the SSP window opened at the end of November, delisted key defender Sam Durdin was also invited back to train with the AFL squad. White featured from the start of pre-season and kept getting invited back. The 179cm livewire impressed session after session, not just with the way he buzzed around the ground, but also with his demeanour. He was thrilled to play VFL for Carlton, let alone train with the big boys. And it showed. 

"I just wanted to work hard and earn respect by working my arse off really," White said. "I think your attitude will get you places. That's what I tried to do. I went into the club every day with that attitude it is a day to get better. When you have lads like this to get better off it's not hard to get to work."

White grew up a diehard Carlton supporter in Warrnambool. He went through the Greater Western Victoria Rebels program in the Coates Talent League, but wasn't on anyone's radar heading into the 2022 Telstra AFL Draft. His close mate, Archie Stevens, had moved to Melbourne to join the VFL Blues that year, so White followed him.

The 21-year-old made the list but didn't play a VFL game in 2023. Instead, he played a full season of senior football for South Warrnambool, helping the Roosters win the Hampden Football League premiership, alongside Archie and his younger brother George, who was the carryover emergency for Geelong on Sunday and is closing on a debut after being drafted by the Cats at the end of 2023.

"I love South Warrnambool. I think it was a great learning opportunity for me to play against men. I don't think many just at 18 get that opportunity," he said.

"It's funny, I'm kind of happy the way it's panned out. My career has been about being resilient, dealing with setbacks. If you keep showing up, good things come your way. I'll keep trying to do that. So much credit to South Warrnambool and Matthew Battistello. They've won two premierships now but the culture they've built is unbelievable."

Rather than moving elsewhere for greater opportunity at a standalone club down the road like Coburg or the Northern Bullants, White recommitted to the Blues in 2024 and put his head down over summer. He ended up playing every game that season, finishing third in the best and fairest ahead of McMahon and Jaxon Binns, where he was also named the best emerging player.

Torin Baker, Tom Lonergan and Tom Langford all helped accelerate his development in the VFL, but Luke Power was the reason he didn't contemplate playing elsewhere, even when the triple premiership Brisbane great wasn't picking him.

"He just pushes the VFL," he said. "He was the reason I stayed at Carlton. He is a coach you want to play under and he's got your back no matter what. He was in my corner from day one, he would get you after training and do extras and was always there to support you. He is such a great asset for Carlton. Many boys would tell you that. He is the best development coach I've had."

Chris Judd was White's favourite player growing up. He also loved watching Jeff Garlett, who wore the No.38 White now wears 107 times during his time at the Blues. Patrick Cripps was someone he idolised from afar, as was Sam Walsh, who is standing next to us doing a radio interview. Post-game media is part of the business now, as is playing in front of big crowds. 

White made his debut against Collingwood in front of 82,058 people at the MCG in round four. More than 40,000 watched on in Gather Round, while Marvel Stadium was almost at capacity when White kicked three goals against North Melbourne on Good Friday. On Sunday, Carlton showed it can still be a force in 2025 by upsetting Geelong in front of nearly 70,000 people that felt even bigger in the fourth quarter.

"The crowd was unbelievable," he said. "That was louder than the Collingwood game to be honest. I just want to go out and play my role, not get caught up in the crowd. The one thing I was told was just to play my role and embrace my role. It's not always going to go your way but if you keep showing up, good things happen."

White put all his chips into playing footy when he moved from Warrnambool to Melbourne, deferring a teaching degree while he pursued his dream. Four games into his time in the AFL, White is confident he can make a career out of this, but knows the hard work is just starting.

"I have two feet on the ground," he said. "I wake up every day and remember this is every kid's dream. I'm never going to take this for granted. I just want to keep working hard to get better. That will be my motto going forward. It is such a privilege to play with the boys."

Playing at the MCG in April didn't look possible for White during the second weekend of February. But after 13 scoring shots in his first month playing for Carlton, more chances await this winter.