Having spent four years separated from family and friends, Carlton recruit Adam Cerra says it was a coffee with Patrick Cripps that clinched his call to move back to Melbourne.
Cerra sat down with his now-captain, who made the opposite journey when he was drafted to the Blues from East Fremantle in 2013, in Perth after the season came to an end.
“It was good to catch up with ‘Crippa’ to get a player’s insight into what the group of boys are like, and what the group’s feel is” Cerra told Sportsday on Thursday night.
“Especially with all the changes in the last couple of months. It was really nice hearing from him how excited everyone was.
“It didn’t sound like it was breaking up the club or anything. It still felt like there was that strong connection, that strong feeling of belonging and care for everyone, which I think is really important in a football club.
“It just got me really excited, and made me want to be a part of it even more.”
The 22-year-old said a move back to Melbourne had been on his mind for some time, but he gave himself every chance to settle into his career in the west.
“It was tough originally coming over here from Victoria,” he admitted.
“I didn’t want to leave a single stone unturned, I wanted to give it a real go, and I feel like I’ve done that over the four years.
“I always felt there was that pull to come home… the club gave me a lot of time to think about it over the year, and for me, my family and my partner, it just came to be the right time to do it.
“I found a really good match in Carlton, and I’m just really happy a deal could be done.
“No bad blood with Fremantle, I’m forever indebted to Fremantle. They’ve been great for me, and I’ll forever keep great relationships there.”
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Drafted from Eastern Ranges, Cerra and his loved ones have been separated for half his career to date by severe border restrictions imposed to limit the spread of coronavirus.
“If I said it wasn’t difficult I’d be lying, the same as everyone in the world,” he explained.
“You just never know what’s going to happen, you can’t be surprised by anything.
“It obviously was difficult being away from family and friends with the limited travel… for me it put a lot of things into perspective.
“I love football and I’ve dedicated my life to it, but there are also big things outside of it that are just as important to me.
“Hopefully things start easing soon and the trends start going the right way.”
Cerra stopped just short of confirming he would take over the No. 5 locker, just vacated by Sam Petrevski-Seton, and which he wore for the duration of his time with Fremantle.
The number has a rich history at Royal Parade, having been worn by premiership players Ken Sheldon, Syd Jackson and Andrew McKay, and former captain Chris Judd.
“Potentially!” Cerra laughed.
“I didn’t call them asking about it… nothing is official yet. But I would love it if it’s available.”
In four years with Fremantle, Cerra notched up 76 games, 16 goals and two top-five finishes in the Doig Medal.
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