Adrian Deluca
Encyclopedia
Adrian Deluca is a former Australian rules football
er who played in the Australian Football League
(AFL).
Deluca played TAC Cup
football for the Oakleigh Chargers
in 2000. He was not drafted by an AFL club after the Under 18s, so he went to play for Port Melbourne
in the Victorian Football League
. Deluca was generally played as a marking forward and back-up ruckman
.
Deluca played three full seasons for the Borough between 2001 and 2003. He was then recruited recruited to the AFL as a 21-year-old by the Carlton Football Club
with its seventh round selection in the 2003 AFL National Draft
(#72 overall). He made his debut for Carlton in Round 1, 2004 against Fremantle
.
He was best-performing recruit of the 2004 season, winning the club's Best First Year Player award. His form dropped during the 2005 season due to injury. During 2006, he spent time in and out of the Carlton side, lining up frequently for the Northern Bullants
, Carlton's .
Early in 2006, Deluca struggled with his marking, particularly overhead; this improved once Deluca began to wear gloves during games (commentators on SEN 1116
gave him the nickname "Mittens"). He was a good kick, and accurate set shot.
After three seasons and 46 games at AFL level, Deluca announced his retirement from AFL at the end of the 2006 season, to give himself the time to concentrate on his career at Big 4
accounting firm KPMG
, an area in which he holds a degree. He did continue to play VFL, returning to his former club Port Melbourne, where he played again from 2007 to 2009 before retiring from football altogether.
His younger brother, Fabian
, also played in the AFL with Port Adelaide
, and played alongside Adrian at Port Melbourne for part of his career.
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
er who played in the Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
(AFL).
Deluca played TAC Cup
TAC Cup
The TAC Cup is an under 18 Australian rules football representative competition held in Victoria, Australia. It is based on geographic regions throughout country Victoria and metropolitan Melbourne with each team representing 12 Victorian regions....
football for the Oakleigh Chargers
Oakleigh Chargers
The Oakleigh Chargers are an Australian rules football club playing in the TAC Cup, an under-18 competition in Victoria, Australia. They are based at Warrawee Park in Oakleigh, Victoria, representing the southeastern suburban area of Melbourne...
in 2000. He was not drafted by an AFL club after the Under 18s, so he went to play for Port Melbourne
Port Melbourne Football Club
The Port Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Borough, is an Australian rules football club based in the Melbourne suburb of Port Melbourne and is currently playing in the Victorian Football League ....
in the Victorian Football League
Victorian Football League
The Victorian Football League which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association , taking its new name as from the 1996 season, is the premier Australian rules football league in Victoria The Victorian Football League (VFL) which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association...
. Deluca was generally played as a marking forward and back-up ruckman
Ruckman (Australian rules football position)
In Australian rules football, a ruckman is typically a tall and athletic player who contests at centre bounces and stoppages . The ruckman is one of the most important players on the field...
.
Deluca played three full seasons for the Borough between 2001 and 2003. He was then recruited recruited to the AFL as a 21-year-old by the Carlton Football Club
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
with its seventh round selection in the 2003 AFL National Draft
2003 AFL Draft
The 2003 AFL Draft was the 2003 instance of the AFL Draft, the annual draft of talented players by Australian rules football teams that participate in the main competition of that sport, the Australian Football League...
(#72 overall). He made his debut for Carlton in Round 1, 2004 against Fremantle
Fremantle Football Club
The Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed The Dockers, is an Australian rules football team which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in the port city of Fremantle at the mouth of the Swan River in Western Australia...
.
He was best-performing recruit of the 2004 season, winning the club's Best First Year Player award. His form dropped during the 2005 season due to injury. During 2006, he spent time in and out of the Carlton side, lining up frequently for the Northern Bullants
Northern Bullants
Northern Blues Football Club is a long-established Australian rules football club based in Preston and currently playing in the Victorian Football League representing the central and outer areas of Melbourne...
, Carlton's .
Early in 2006, Deluca struggled with his marking, particularly overhead; this improved once Deluca began to wear gloves during games (commentators on SEN 1116
SEN 1116
SEN 1116 , the acronym standing for Sports Entertainment Network, is a commercial AM radio station based in Melbourne, Australia, operating on 1116 kHz...
gave him the nickname "Mittens"). He was a good kick, and accurate set shot.
After three seasons and 46 games at AFL level, Deluca announced his retirement from AFL at the end of the 2006 season, to give himself the time to concentrate on his career at Big 4
Big Four auditors
The Big Four are the four largest international professional services networks in accountancy and professional services, which handle the vast majority of audits for publicly traded companies as well as many private companies, creating an oligopoly in auditing large companies...
accounting firm KPMG
KPMG
KPMG is one of the largest professional services networks in the world and one of the Big Four auditors, along with Deloitte, Ernst & Young and PwC. Its global headquarters is located in Amstelveen, Netherlands....
, an area in which he holds a degree. He did continue to play VFL, returning to his former club Port Melbourne, where he played again from 2007 to 2009 before retiring from football altogether.
His younger brother, Fabian
Fabian Deluca
Fabian De Luca is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Port Adelaide in the Australian Football League . He was recruited from Eastern Ranges in the TAC Cup....
, also played in the AFL with Port Adelaide
Port Adelaide Football Club
The Port Adelaide Football Club is an Australian rules football club based in Alberton, South Australia, which plays in the Australian Football League and the South Australian National Football League...
, and played alongside Adrian at Port Melbourne for part of his career.