COLLINGWOOD forward Jesse White has shed a whopping 8kg in a bid to improve his running ability and get back to peak form.
The 26-year-old has admitted his first season as a Magpie didn't go as well as he had hoped, as he struggled to cover the ground and be as influential as he was in a standout 2013 season with the Swans.
But he's confident the significant weight loss will increase his mobility, having already seen the benefits in a recent time trial.
"I dropped about 8kg over the off-season just so I'm a bit lighter and I can cover the ground," White told the club's website.
"I came back and ran a personal best - I think it was 27 seconds off my PB in the 2km, which is awesome.
"I've set a good benchmark for myself now and I can really step up from there."
White was listed as weighing 102kg before the start of the 2014 season and will enter next year well under that mark.
"I think two years ago was my best season of footy when I was still at the Swans and I think I went away from that last year. I wasn't running as well and covering the ground so I wanted to shed some kilos," he said.
"The way the game is headed these days I want to get up, back and really get involved and get my hands on the footy."
White has also identified leadership as an area he wants to stand up in next year. While unsure of the role forecast for him in 2015, he wants to make sure he's in the best condition possible to impress coach Nathan Buckley.
"I'm just trying to put in the hard yards and get as fit as I can before Christmas, and after Christmas I can start thinking about what sort of roles I want to play," he said.
"I'd love to push up the ground a little bit more."
