BEING named as captain came as a late surprise for Mitch White.

Heading into the final practice games, head coach Jade Rawlings announced the 23-year-old would lead the side for the 2019 season to his unexpected joy.

“It was around the practice games time, I sort of felt I was maybe in the mix,” White told Melbourne Media.

“I was comfortable with Jack Hutchins to be captain and lead the team … Hutchy has done a ripper job being captain over the past few seasons.

“So it was a little unexpected … but I am stoked to be named captain.”

The easy-going White enjoys the responsibility which comes with being captain.

But he is coy with the title and is looking forward to letting his play do the talking.

“It is a huge privilege, it is not something you go and expect to be when you start playing,” White said.

“I try and keep the mantra of just being another one of the guys … you go toss the coin, and you make some jargon before the game.

“But at the end of the day, when you’re running out there, you’re the same as the other 22 blokes in our team.”

White has been a beloved figure within the Club and the team, and now will have his opportunity to showcase his leadership skills.

But his tenure as captain didn’t start the way he probably imagined after the Demons suffered a heavy defeat against Box Hill to open the season.

White didn’t mince words when discussing the opening round loss.

“I think it was our mindset to be honest,” White said.

“We probably rolled out a bit into the Box Hill game … we hold ourselves and each other pretty accountable, so the way we went about it in Round 1 struck a nerve with a lot of us.

“But against North Melbourne, we had a presence about us, rather than all of the talk about playing ‘our way’, we came out and showed it and got things right … we put the words into action.”

Over the past few seasons, embracing the ‘Casey Way’ of football has yielded tremendous results for the Club.

For Mitch, playing the ‘Casey Way’ is massive for the team, and how they go about their business.

“It is a hard-contested brand of football,” White said.

“I know myself and a lot of the other blokes like playing that way.

“It’s a game style you know can hold up not only in the regular season but also during finals time.”

The style of football took the Demons to the VFL Grand Final last season, before falling an agonisingly close defeat to the Box Hill Hawks by 10 points.

It was the second time White has been on the losing side in the final game of the season.

But he is confident, the team has the motivation and the gameplay to enjoy success in the finals in 2019.

“The Grand Final is something you’re striving towards, you don’t play footy just to turn up and makeup numbers in the regular season then have an extended break,” White said.

“The Premiership is always the goal, and as long as we don’t dish up performances like we did in Round 1, then I am confident we can go a long way and come pretty close again this season.

“It’s about putting our brand of football out there every week rain, hail or shine.”

White is sounding more and more like a leader every day and with every performance.

One player White credits for having a profound impact on his football is Melbourne’s Neville Jetta.

Having a locker close to Jetta’s during his time with Melbourne, White was quick to seek advice from the 144-game AFL veteran.

“Internally people at Melbourne have known how good of a player he is,” White said.

“But now he is getting recognised in the wider public about how hard he is at the footy, how tough he is to play on.

“But also how smart he is … he is such a good bloke, such a good family guy, his footy knowledge is so extensive, so he is someone I have tried to learn a lot from.”

Learning more of the game is a personal goal White has set himself in 2019.

Already Casey fans have seen the evolution in his game, playing down back one week, then playing forward in Round 2, showcasing the versatility of the 188cm swingman.

“This season I want to continue to learn, I’ve started starting in the backline this year, then playing forward in Round 2 which I have never really done,” White said.

“I am trying to learn the game and trying to stay on the park for the team, which I have struggled to do over the past few years, which is annoying.

“But the biggest thing for me is to continue to learn, so I can fill spots and continue to contribute for the team where I can.”

Away from the football field, White is currently an estimator, but his true passions off of the field are being in the outdoors and travelling the world.

In fact, White has recently completed a scuba diving course and is looking forward to being able to put his learnings into practice in the future.

“I love the outdoorsy stuff, a bit of fishing here and there, going squid fishing with Jake Dispasquale,” White said.

“I’ve been away to Canada and the United States earlier this year and had a little bit of a stint at snowboarding, I tried to hold back as it was before pre-season.

“But I’ve recently completed a scuba diving course, so that’s something I am keen to do a bit more of, but obviously not during the season, I’m not keen on getting the bends and then not being able to play the next week.”

While Casey fans are glad to hear he will wait to pursue his passions until after the season, they are thrilled with White's early season performances.

Like a fish to water, Mitch White has taken to being the captain of the Casey Football Club, and will look to lead the Demons back to the big game in 2019.