Matthew Bate was born to play football on the big stage of the MCG. "Even when I was younger, around three or four, I used to always be holding a footy. My dad was right into it and I was a really passionate Hawthorn supporter. One of my biggest idols was Jason Dunstall and as a kid I just wanted to be like him."

Playing footy for Melbourne isn't Bate's only passion, with the forward taking up guitar when he was 15. "I've actually performed at a bar with my sister over the last two years. I play guitar and she sings, but I've just stopped for now so I can really focus on my football. I wanted to take playing [guitar] more seriously and wanted to get some experience playing live gigs."

Inspired by musicians like Jack Johnson and Jeff Buckley, Bate has also tried his hand at songwriting. "I find songwriting a really good outlet from football, because whatever emotions I'm feeling through football or anything else in my life I can express through a song. So when I write songs it's kind of a way for me to express how I'm feeling, so I guess it flows out really easily for me."

Former teammate and contestant on singing reality show It Takes Two, Russell Robertson has also shared his experiences with Bate. "We jammed together quite a bit and we even played a gig together once. I learnt a lot from him. He's done it (gigs) a lot ... but he's had a lot of experience with it and is just as passionate about music as I am. It was just something outside football that we shared in common."

While many footballers seem to be falling into media roles after their careers, Bate is certain the music industry is where he's headed. "It's a real passion of mine and I'd love to somehow get into the music industry or somehow be involved in music after footy. Russell has shown me that you can do it and that's one of the reasons I wanted to play a few gigs over the last couple of years, to get that experience while I'm still playing football."

In the off-season, Bate took some time out to travel. "I went to Bali and also went to Fiji with my girlfriend. I just really love travelling and would love to do more of it. We obviously only get a small window every year to do that, so to have the opportunity to go overseas and experience different cultures is a big eye-opener and something I absolutely love doing."

Next stop on the world map for the 22-year-old is Europe. "I would love to go to London or anywhere in the UK. I've got a lot of friends living over in Europe. I'd also love to go to the Greek Islands or somewhere really tropical and a bit like paradise ... I want to travel to every spot on the planet just to experience it."