“I COULDN’T have asked for a better birthday present.”

Adam Cerra will always remember his 22nd birthday more than most. 

Becoming a Blue on Thursday 7 October, it was the perfect present for Cerra, who woke up to a phone call from Robbie D’Orazio at 7am (Perth time).

Three hours later, his move was official, with photos in the Navy Blue polo and a Zoom call with Michael Voss all ticked off. 

For Cerra, he’s hoping this is the start of something great.

“At the present moment, there’s so much excitement about the group,” Cerra told Carlton Media.

“Obviously there’s been a lot of changes over the last months and I really want to be part of it. I feel like they’ve got the core group there, and I can’t wait to get to work with them and start to build something special.

“I know they’re all hungry for success, fans included, and so am I.”

Full of gratitude for his four years spent at Fremantle, the pull of playing in front of his family back in Melbourne was significant for the new Blues.

Stating he “couldn’t be any happier” with where he’s at, the prospect of playing a key cog of Carlton’s midfield group alongside Patrick Cripps and Sam Walsh is at the front of his mind. 

In his early conversations with the Senior Coach, Cerra said that what came to the fore was the appetite to succeed and what he described as a “buy-in approach”.

“I’ve spoken to ‘Vossy’ a couple of times now: [what has stood out] is the theme that we want to build something special with all of the new changes,” he said.

“With all of the new people, I think I’ll blend in well and start something fresh. 

“We spoke a lot about the midfield role and hopefully complementing the great midfielders we’ve already got in there… I’m just hoping to bring a bit of my inside and outside midfield ability.”

There aren’t a whole lot of familiar faces at IKON Park for Cerra - Football Operations and Compliance Manager Len Villani was his talent manager at the Eastern Ranges - but for the new Blue, that’s an exciting part of it all. 

When he makes the move down from Perth, he’s already been informed that he’ll be right at home on Lygon Street, as a certain social media announcement video suggested.

In terms of his opinion of Carlton supporters and his message for his newest fans, it remained consistent with the rest of his interview.

“I know from the experience of playing against Carlton that the Bluebaggers are very passionate and a very supportive group,” he said.

“They’re hungry for success, and so am I. I’m looking forward to playing in front of them.

“I hope to build something special that we can all be a part of on and off the field, from staff to players to fans. I think that’s where this club can go and where we’ll be very soon.”