PRE-SEASON motivation, overcoming setbacks and - of course - some all-important FIFA chat with the self-proclaimed king. 

Everything was on the agenda when Brodie Kemp became the latest Blue to answer fan questions in the People's Presser. 

With the first week of pre-season done and dusted, here's a selection of what Kemp had to say: you can watch the full video with all the answers in the player below. 

Debby
With all of the changes at the Club, how is the group settling in under the new direction and what is getting you excited about the upcoming season?

I think the boys are settling in really well. The coaches we have in and all of the new staff have done a really good job to connect to the players so far and vice versa. I think the biggest thing is we’ve got the format and the players there that can certainly get the job done, and that’s the most exciting part. We’ve got the self belief.

Joe
Is the plan to push into the midfield, or is the backline your permanent home?

I’d love to progress into the midfield, but when that will be or if that will be is going to be up to the coaches — and I’m happy with that. I’m loving my time in defence and I’ve got a lot of experience coming from ‘Weiters’ as well as Liam Jones last season.

Nic
Despite not playing a game in 2020, how much were you able to take out of the year in the hub with such close contact with development coaches and the playing group?

I think the hub was the best thing for me because I was otherwise going to be in an isolated program being in rehab the whole year. That was really good and helped me build relationships that I might not have had being back in Melbourne. Because I was living with all of the players, it was really good for me and I learned heaps from that. 

blues.afl
What changes are you looking to make to improve your game in 2022?

I think based off of the last two games, the big one for me was fitness. There were a couple of periods of time in the game where I was stuffed. Working on that will allow me to be a bit more powerful in contests and have a bit more juice. 

Corenzi
How did you mentally cope with all of the injuries?

It was tough at times, but the most important thing was keeping a positive mindset and staying around the group as much as possible. Sometimes you can get a bit down, but you don’t want to pass that negative energy onto the group.

Em
Have any particular players from the group had a great impact on you since your arrival at the club? What have they done to assist in your growth?

I think the big one for me was ‘Weiters’. He did a mountain of work with me at the back end of the year when I started playing and he was just superb. He’d grab me at the end of training to do body work and obviously you see how good he is, so for him to pass that knowledge down to me has certainly helped me progress forward with my footy. 

RL91
Who has pulled off the shaved head the best and the worst?

I think ‘Obi’ [Lochie O’Brien] has done it the worst. Probably [the best is] Jack Carroll, he goes alright with a shaved head. 

Harry Ripon
Is it true that you didn’t talk to the boys for 72 hours after being taken down in FIFA?

I don’t know if it was 72 hours, but it was a long while where I was hiding in my room for a bit trying to digest my poor performance.

Ethan
Who’s your favourite FIFA player to use?

I’d probably say at the moment, there’s a Nabil Fekir card that was an SBC a month ago. He’s probably my favourite card at the moment.