CERRA ON TOP
Birthday boy is now 22 and a Blue
IT was the 7am wake-up call that delivered Adam Cerra the 22nd birthday gift he craved most – confirmation that a deal had been reached to make him a Carlton player.
Cerra was asleep in Andrew Brayshaw’s spare bedroom when the call came from his manager Robbie D’Orazio.
The highly rated midfielder sprang out of bed with excitement at the news, sharing it with his family and friends back home in Melbourne.
“I got a phone call from Robbie at 7am, which woke me,” Cerra said.
“I was still half asleep when I found out.
“There is definitely a sense of relief now that it has actually happened. I am really excited.”
Cerra’s move was completed in a deal that saw the Blues hand over pick six and a future third-round pick.
Cerra chose Carlton over Melbourne because he felt it was a better fit for his football progression.
“They were my No.1 priority,” he said.
“I really liked all the changes (at the Blues) and the excitement of the group. The other party was Melbourne, who made a very impressive pitch and they did make it more difficult. But I couldn’t be happier.”
Several calls with new coach Michael Voss and a recent coffee and walk in Perth with Blues co-skipper Patrick Cripps persuaded Cerra he was making the right call.
“We have spoken about the midfield role I can play for the team, bringing my inside and outside abilities
… to help complement the star players they have got in (Sam) Walsh and Cripps, and George Hewett has just come in as well as the other midfielders who have played massive roles.”
Cerra said he would fly to Melbourne next week to get started on the next phase of his career.
He conceded it had been hard to leave the Dockers after four seasons, but said the Covid chaos of the past two seasons solidified a desire to be closer to family in Victoria.
“(Telling the Dockers) was very difficult as I have committed the last four years of my life to the club and I feel like I have done everything I could,” he said. “There is no bad blood. When I requested the trade, I said to (his manager), ‘I want Freo to be looked after’.”
Cerra finished fifth in the Fremantle best-and-fairest this year and third in 2020.
He has signed a four-year deal that is understood to be below the $750,000 a season the Dockers offered when they attempted to keep him in West Australia. glenn.mcfarlane@news.com.au