“I’D BE lying to you if I said my footy was as good now as it was during the losing patch.”
Enjoyment breeds confidence for Jesse Motlop.
Things have been a whirlwind for the 19-year-old since his debut in the middle of last year. With 27 games under his belt, Motlop has already experienced his fair share of high-stakes football.
Last Friday night was another one of those, but it could’ve been very different. Just three weeks ago, Motlop found himself out of the team, before the latest of recalls provided all the impetus he needed.
The result? Eight goals from his past three games, and a whole lot of smiles along the way.
“It’s definitely a big change. You’ve got everybody on your back, and now everybody is on top of the world,” Motlop said on SEN Breakfast.
“We’ve relaxed a bit and we’re playing with confidence. We start with our pressure and contest, because that’s what we know . . . it definitely makes it easier for everyone.”
Motlop believes that return game against Port Adelaide was solely off adrenaline — and it seemed to work for him, kicking four goals to the five-minute mark of the second term against a team he admitted to being a “diehard” supporter of when growing up.
Then, last weekend, he kicked the goal which brought Carlton fans to their feet in the final term. He’s getting quite used to the big stage, if sheer numbers are anything to go by: of Motlop’s 27 games to date, six have been played in front of over 80,000 people.
“It’s pretty nerve-racking at front when you’re playing in front of that many people. Even just to play an AFL game is pretty stressful, but the more you do it, the better you get,” he said.
“With experience, I’m starting to find myself out there. I’m not getting too comfortable, but always being prepared. That experience really helps.”
Footy’s a tough game, that’s been well-established. But while there’s always commentary on it taking more time for the bigger blokes to develop, life can also be tough going for an emerging small forward.
There can be games where everything seems to be going right for you, like Motlop’s fifth game of AFL football, kicking three goals against St Kilda under Friday night lights. But then, there can be others where you’re doing everything within your power and yet seemingly nothing goes your way.
Motlop is learning that it’s all part and parcel of being an AFL footballer, and while it’s not without its challenges, he knows how quickly the wheel can turn — and that his signature family celebration is never too far away.
While plenty know that ‘Deadly’ hand gesture by now, where did the nickname start? As Motlop tells, it took a while to catch on.
“When I was 10, I was looking for an Instagram handle. I couldn’t do ‘@jessemotlop’, because that was too boring, so I decided to give myself ‘@deadlymotlop’. It didn’t stick at school at all, but as soon as I got into the footy world, it’s been around!”
Whether you call him ‘Deadly’, ‘Mots’ or just Jesse, he’s doing some very good things on the football field at such a young age.
Just don’t ask him to do the cooking.
“I’m not good at it, as I’ve learned in the last couple of months. The boys [Jack Carroll and Corey Durdin] have been giving it to me.
“I put this cheese on a steak sandwich. The boys reckon they spewed it all up.
“Since then, I’ve copped it.”
