Carlton forward Jesse Motlop looking to bounce back after injury-plagued season

Jackson Clark Published November 15, 2024 at 12.30pm (AWST)

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Jesse Motlop is aiming to put an injury-plagued season behind him in 2025. (Image: AFL)

Jesse Motlop is poised to put a frustrating 2024 behind him and take his game to another level next season.

The Larrakia man had an injury-interrupted season that saw him play in just seven AFL games, down from 21 games in 2023.

Motlop's manager, Tom Seccull told SEN Sportsday the 20-year-old was ready to put last year's frustrations behind him.

"He has had a great off-season … he's firing on all cylinders," Seccull said.

"He has been to Adelaide, Darwin, Perth and has seen all his family.

"I have no doubt he will attack pre-season similar to what he did last year and he will be in great nick for next year because it is certainly a role which is important to the Blues' structure moving forward, so it's a great opportunity for him."

Motlop suffered a toe injury towards the end of pre-season last year followed by multiple recurrences of a hamstring injury.

It took until Round 20 for the talented small forward to force his way into the team, where he produced a three-goal performance against North Melbourne.

Jesse Motlop and has family before an AFL game last season. (Image: Getty Images)

Motlop held his spot in Carlton's team for the remainder of the year and featured in the club's elimination final loss to eventual premiers Brisbane.

He also played six games at VFL level with a four-goal effort against Greater Western Sydney his best return.

Seccull told SEN that Moltop was pretty disappointed with his year after putting in solid work during the pre-season.

"He had an amazing pre-season, he was in career-best condition going into the year and then unfortunately he got hit with a little toe (injury) and then came back, then had the hamstring, then before you know it he has missed half the season," Seccull said.

"He had to work back through that and get in (and) he was able to do that and have some impact in the second half of the season.

"If you said to him in February that was how the year was going to be planned out, you wouldn't have picked that.

"He was pretty flat about it."

Motlop has played 40 games in total for the Blues and has averaged over a goal per game since debuting during the 2022 season.

The son of former North Melbourne and Port Adelaide player Daniel Motlop was picked up by Carlton with selection 27 in the 2021 AFL National Draft.