GIVING back.

The Blues have headed down the highway to Bendigo for Community Camp as their pre-season comes to the pointy end. 

Visiting hospitals, schools, and Auskick clinics, the players have a stacked schedule during their trip.

Speaking to the media on Tuesday morning, Jesse Motlop expressed his excitement about visiting the city of Bendigo and seeing the joy on the children’s faces. 

“We’ve got a couple of boys that are from out this way and we always want to inspire the next generation,” Motlop said. 

“Whether we have the next Harry O’Farrell or Brodie Kemp coming through, hopefully this makes a difference in their footy journeys.”

As well as having teammates with a connection to the area, the group enjoyed getting to know the long history that Carlton and Bendigo have shared for many years – including meeting the Blues’ oldest living player Bill Redmond. 

“We met the oldest player alive who played for Carlton yesterday, so feeling that history and connecting back to where the boys are from is exciting and hopefully inspires the next generation,” he said.

Putting together Fortnite dance competitions and footy drills, Motlop has enjoyed the experience as much as the kids have. 

Noting the importance of giving back to the community, the 21-year-old was pleased to have the opportunity ahead of the season.

“Yesterday we had a school visit and we went to Latrobe University to do a welcome to country,” he said. 

“Today we have two more school visits and a few signing sessions, it’s pretty exciting. All the kids are running amuck at the moment, yesterday we were doing a few Fortnite dances and competitions, it was pretty funny.”

In terms of his own journey, the small forward is hoping to get more time on the park after suffering a foot injury in 2024. 

Now back at his best, Motlop is invigorated at the thought of playing in the forward line with his teammates again. 

“It’s a big year, I’m going into my fourth year and I feel like I’ve really got a lot of confidence out of my training and the environment that I’m in at the moment, so I’m looking forward to it,” he said. 

“What’s special about our group is the depth that we have – we do have boys that can fill the role and get the job done.

“Now it’s exciting that we have young boys, even older players like Zac Williams and Orazio, Lachie Fogarty and Ashton Moir.”

There’s another layer of excitement ahead of Motlop’s journey, having been selected for the Indigenous All-Stars squad – something his father was a part of many times. 

Representing his culture and community is special to the proud Larrakia man, who is honoured to be selected amongst his footballing colleagues. 

“It’s an honour, I’ve had the old man play in a few of the games, I think he’s played in the most,” he said.  

“To carry on that tradition is not only special for the family, but also the community, being an Indigenous Australian, there’s a lot of boys I’m looking forward to playing with.”