Carlton’s Jesse Motlop talks Indigenous All-Stars selection, pledges loyalty to Blues
Jesse Motlop is confident a reshaped pre-season program at Carlton will help him make up for a disappointing 2024, as he prepares to pick up the slack in the absence of Matt Owies.
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Indigenous All-Stars squad member Jesse Motlop is confident a repeat speed emphasis in Carlton’s reshaped pre-season program will see him faster and stronger in 2025 as he pledged his loyalty to the Blues.
The talented small forward endured a frustrating, injury-hit 2024 season, which restricted him to seven games due to a nagging toe injury and subsequent hamstring issues.
But the 21-year-old is intent on bedding down a permanent role in Carlton’s attack this year as well as potentially locking in a new deal with the Blues, after ticking off a flawless pre-season that will see him live out a childhood dream by representing the All-Stars this month.
“We’ve done a lot more repeat speed which, before I came into the system, was my style of running,” Motlop said of the changes made under new Carlton high performance boss Rob Inness.
“I have been loving it. I feel a lot quicker, a lot more powerful and it is really starting to come out in my footy. It’s exciting for a lot of the boys.”
He’s set to follow a proud family tradition in the Indigenous All-Stars game, just as his father Daniel did, after being named in the squad to take on Fremantle on February 15.
Motlop was a wide-eyed 11-year-old fan the last time the All-Stars played against West Coast at Leederville Oval in 2015.
“I remember watching the last Indigenous game. I was sitting on the race and giving them all high fives … and dad (Daniel) was a part of a couple of games up in Darwin too.”
“I grew up with the Burgoyne boys … I was really close to Jase. We had a little bit of a rivalry back in the day, so to be able to play alongside him (in the game) would be amazing. Our dads played together at Port Adelaide.”
Motlop is immensely proud of his famous footballing family, which includes his father Daniel, who played for North Melbourne and Port Adelaide, and uncle Steven (Geelong and Port Adelaide), and uncle Shannon (North Melbourne and Melbourne).
“Obviously, the Motlops have a great name in the game and at the end of the day, it is my job to do that justice,” he said.
“Family and a love of the game are the reasons why I play footy,” he said.
“It’s not just about the Motlops, though. It’s also about my mum, my stepfather, my stepmother and everyone else who is on my team and in my circle.”
His goal celebrations, which are encouraged by the Blues forwards, are in part a tribute to his family as well, and hopes to bring more out in 2025.
It’s called ‘Dhapirrk’ – and he learnt it from his father, and it has a special meaning.
“You always love kicking a goal and dad (Daniel) and uncle Steven used to bring out a few celebrations,” he said. “There is one that is called ‘Dhapirrk’ and it comes from Darwin, and the Larrakia people, and it means ‘deadly’.
“(The late) Gary Dhurrkay used to play for North Melbourne and (my) dad was very close to him. Dad told me about it a couple of years ago and the first time I played in Adelaide, I brought it out and decided to do it in front of him.”
Motlop is about to enter the final year of his current deal with the Blues. But having originally been from Darwin before moving to Perth, and with close relatives in Western Australia and South Australia, he says he has no intention of moving interstate, insisting he loves living in Melbourne – and playing at Carlton.
“I’ve loved it here (at Carlton) since day one, and I don’t plan on going anywhere else,” Motlop said. “I have a lot of great relationships at the club and hopefully we are about to have a very consistent year.”
Part of that has been because of his two housemates, Blues teammate Corey Durdin and former teammate and now Saint Jack Carroll, but also his connection to the Blues players and his belief in what they can collectively achieve.
“I got put with Jack and Corey from day one, and we’re still there (living together),” he said. “We’ve just got that connection.”
“Those two boys are a year older than me, but they embraced me from the start and I guess they showed me the way. Jack is a WA boy and Corey is an SA boy, and I’ve got family in both (states). But we love it here.”
Carlton traded its most prolific small forward from last year – Matt Owies – to West Coast, but Motlop says the Blues have a number of small forwards eager to make a difference in 2025.
“I think even when Owies was here, we had such great depth,” Motlop said. “We have got a lot of young boys coming through now. They are all capable of playing the role.”
“To be honest, the personnel doesn’t matter for us. We are about the next man up.
“I know I am still learning the craft of all the different types of small forward roles we have. I am trying to make sure I just get my job done and help the other boys get their jobs done.”
Motlop played 33 games and kicked 36 goals in his first two seasons, but hit the first injury hurdle of his football career last year.
The issue happened just prior to the start of the season and it put him right on the back foot.
“I did the whole off-season and I felt like I was in pretty good form bodywise and training-wise, and ready to line up in round 1,” he said.
“Unfortunately, right at the end of the second practice match, I got my toe caught in a tackle and a few ligaments went. It was a really annoying one because I couldn’t go at full pace on it. Then just as I was due to come back, I ended up doing my hamstring, and I did it again, the next time. A couple of injuries overlapped and it took me a bit of a while to get back in.”
The experience taught him the importance of patience and not pushing himself too hard, when the natural response would have been to go full throttle.
“It was actually the first time I reckon in my life that I had missed a game due to injury,” he said. “So to miss 10 in a row you could imagine how I was feeling.
“I was so eager to get out there and all of a sudden it was gone for a few months.”
He didn’t make it back until round 20, but ended up playing seven straight games, including the elimination final loss to Brisbane.
“For me, I think this year (2025) is all about earning back everyone’s trust,” he said. “Although it was a freak injury, you want to earn back their trust and make sure you are doing everything right to play good consistent football.”
Originally published as Carlton’s Jesse Motlop talks Indigenous All-Stars selection, pledges loyalty to Blues
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