Forward? . . . back? . . . mid? Pop the question to Simon White and the affable Western Australian says simply “I’ just go where I’m told”.

And yet the bloke in the No.43 guernsey may well be asked to fill the multi-tiered brief so often asked of its previous wearer Anthony Koutoufides – for White has got his body right.

Now a svelte 92 kilograms, White’s shed a lazy five kilos over the pre-season to give himself every chance of lending his not insubstantial presence to the likes of Murphy, Gibbs and Judd, and averaging 13-kilometre game-time run in the process.

“I’ve got myself back down to a weight I’m pretty comfortable to play at,” White said between training sessions at Ikon Park this week.

“Over the past few years I’ve been up around 95-96kg mark and I needed to drop some kilos just to make it easier in terms of the run . . . and now that I’m back at 92 it’s ideal.”

Now in his sixth season and five games shy of his 50th senior appearance for Carlton, White, at 26, is truly up and about.

Injury and surgery-free through the pre-season, and having experienced no residual effect of the fractured vertebrae in his neck sustained incurred in a Northern Blues match back against Box Hill back in July 2013, White is champing at the bit in anticipation of the much-publicised season opener.

“Everyone talks about consistency and as much as anything else it’s about consistency out on the track,” White said.

“There was a point where I was completing two weeks training, then missing three, whereas now I’m out on the track all the time and handling the footies without an ankle brace, a knee brace or a neck brace – and as for the neck I don’t even think about it now.”

Kristian Jaksch’s presence across half-back has freed up White for a myriad of on-field duties, not the least of which is a run-with role – the sort he adopted in a previous matching with Essendon’s Brendon Goddard.

White first got a crack at it in an earlier intra-club scratch match at Ikon Park, going head-to-head in midfield with Chris Judd.

Then at Queen Elizabeth Oval against Collingwood last Sunday, White found himself the jack of all trades, whether in defence, on a wing, inside-mid or high forward – in keeping with the game’s 21st-century prototype.

HIGHLIGHTS: NAB Challenge - Carlton v Collingwood

Not since his Under 14 “four foot two” days has White turned out in the midfield, and little wonder he’s so upbeat in the countdown to the Richmond contest.

“’Like most players I’ve still got a lot to work on, and I’ve had a lot of discussions with the coaches about what I need to do. Heading up the ground to the midfield has been a good learning curve and something I’ve really enjoyed over the pre-season,” White said.

“Having more taller, stronger players around the footy is the way the game is going (memo Patrick Cripps, Mark Whiley).

"We have a really good mix, with a lot of players who can play different roles.”