Mark Ricciuto
Encyclopedia
Mark Anthony Ricciuto is a former Australian rules football
player, who played for the Adelaide Crows in the Australian Football League
(AFL). An eight-time All-Australian and an AFL Hall of Fame
Inductee, he is recognised by many as the greatest player in the history of the Adelaide Football Club.
. He was recruited by SANFL team West Adelaide
and soon after – as a 16 year old high schooler – was recruited by the Adelaide Crows in 1992. He debuted in the AFL
in 1993. Ricciuto earned his first All Australian selection as a 19 year old in 1994.
, with Collingwood
's Nathan Buckley
and Sydney
's Adam Goodes
. In 2004 he came second in the Bronwlow medal. In 2004 and 2005 he earned his seventh and eighth All-Australian guernsey. However at the end of the 2005 season Ricciuto was suspended following an incident in the Crows' final regular season match against West Coast
; thus ruling him out of Brownlow Medal
contention and the Crows' first qualifying final against fourth placed , hampering the Crows' attempts at a straight path to the preliminary final. Indeed, the Crows lost this match by just eight points, and ultimately the Crows finished one match short of the 2005 decider.
, Ricciuto was ruled out of the Crows' final few matches due to a "mystery ailment" which was later found to be parvovirus B19
. Nevertheless, Ricciuto led the Crows to their second straight top-two finish in 2006 and thus a more direct path to the preliminary final, again against the West Coast Eagles
where again the Crows finished one match short of the decider, losing the preliminary final by just 10 points.
Ricciuto played his 300th AFL game on the 21st of July 2006 against North Melbourne
. He kicked 5 goals in a game that Adelaide won by 72 points. He was quicker than any other player in AFL history to this milestone, in 13 years and 83 days, some 11 days quicker than Carlton's Craig Bradley
.
. Ricciuto was also twice named All Australian captain in 2004 and 2005, joining Wayne Carey and Michael Voss as the only multiple All Australian Captains in the AFL era.
He currently plays for the Prince Alfred Old Collegians Football Club.
heritage, and bears a large tattoo of his family name on his back. His grandfather was born in the small Italian town of Fragneto Monforte
On 19 January 2008 Ricciuto married Sarah Delahunt. They have a daughter, Sophie Jane (born in November 2006) and two sons, Nick Stanley (born in June 2008) and Joe Matthew (born in June 2010). Sarah and Mark are now expecting their fourth child.
Ricciuto played in the ANZAC day clash 2008 with Waikerie A grade against Loxton. Waikerie won the match by 38 points.
Ricciuto also played in the 2008 Riverland Grand Final with Waikerie against Renmark. In time on in the final quarter with not very much time left on the clock, Ricciuto kicked the 12th goal for Waikerie to seal back-to-back Premierships for Waikerie.
Ricciuto now works in the media is an AFL commentator for both Triple M
and Fox Sports
.
In 2011, Ricciuto was inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame
.
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...
player, who played for the Adelaide Crows 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). An eight-time All-Australian and an AFL Hall of Fame
Australian Football Hall of Fame
The Australian Football Hall of Fame was established in 1996, the Centenary year of the Australian Football League, to help recognise the contributions made to the sport of Australian rules football by players, umpires, media personalities, coaches and administrators. It was initially established...
Inductee, he is recognised by many as the greatest player in the history of the Adelaide Football Club.
Early career (1993–1996)
Ricciuto was born in Waikerie, South AustraliaWaikerie, South Australia
Waikerie is a rural town in the Riverland region of South Australia on the south bank of the Murray River. At the 2006 census, Waikerie had a population of 1,744. The Sturt Highway passes to the south of the town at the top of the cliffs...
. He was recruited by SANFL team West Adelaide
West Adelaide Football Club
West Adelaide Football Club is an Australian rules football club in the South Australian National Football League . Commonly known as The Bloods and Westies, the clubs home base is City Mazda Stadium located in Richmond, an inner-western suburb of Adelaide.-Early Years :West Adelaide was formed in...
and soon after – as a 16 year old high schooler – was recruited by the Adelaide Crows in 1992. He debuted in the AFL
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
in 1993. Ricciuto earned his first All Australian selection as a 19 year old in 1994.
Rising career (1997–2001)
After a stellar year in 1997 (in which he received his second All Australian guernsey) he ended up missing the 1997 premiership due to a late season injury. Despite this setback, he rallied in 1998 to again be an All Australian, win the club best and fairest and play in his only premiership. He was appointed as the Adelaide captain in 2001.Career high (2002–2005)
In 2003, he was joint winner of the league's highest honor, the Brownlow MedalBrownlow Medal
The Chas Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal , is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League during the regular season as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game...
, with Collingwood
Collingwood Football Club
The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
's Nathan Buckley
Nathan Buckley
Nathan Charles Buckley is a former professional Australian rules football player, commentator and coach, best known for his time as captain of the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League ....
and Sydney
Sydney Swans
The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...
's Adam Goodes
Adam Goodes
Adam Goodes is a professional Australian rules football player with the Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League ....
. In 2004 he came second in the Bronwlow medal. In 2004 and 2005 he earned his seventh and eighth All-Australian guernsey. However at the end of the 2005 season Ricciuto was suspended following an incident in the Crows' final regular season match against West Coast
West Coast Eagles
The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League. The club is based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and played its first games in the 1987 season. Its current home ground is Subiaco Oval...
; thus ruling him out of Brownlow Medal
Brownlow Medal
The Chas Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal , is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League during the regular season as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game...
contention and the Crows' first qualifying final against fourth placed , hampering the Crows' attempts at a straight path to the preliminary final. Indeed, the Crows lost this match by just eight points, and ultimately the Crows finished one match short of the 2005 decider.
Twilight career (2006–2007)
Late in the 2006 season2006 AFL season
Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 2006.-National Cup: 3.10.5 defeated 1.10.15 in the 2006 NAB Cup Final...
, Ricciuto was ruled out of the Crows' final few matches due to a "mystery ailment" which was later found to be parvovirus B19
Parvovirus B19
The B19 virus, generally referred to as parvovirus B19 or sometimes erythrovirus B19, was the first known human virus in the family of parvoviruses, genus erythrovirus...
. Nevertheless, Ricciuto led the Crows to their second straight top-two finish in 2006 and thus a more direct path to the preliminary final, again against the West Coast Eagles
West Coast Eagles
The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League. The club is based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and played its first games in the 1987 season. Its current home ground is Subiaco Oval...
where again the Crows finished one match short of the decider, losing the preliminary final by just 10 points.
Ricciuto played his 300th AFL game on the 21st of July 2006 against North Melbourne
North Melbourne Football Club
The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...
. He kicked 5 goals in a game that Adelaide won by 72 points. He was quicker than any other player in AFL history to this milestone, in 13 years and 83 days, some 11 days quicker than Carlton's Craig Bradley
Craig Bradley
Craig Edwin "Braddles" Bradley is a former South Australian Australian rules footballer and first class cricketer. He is currently a part-time assistant coach at the Carlton Football Club, the club he represented 375 times in the VFL/AFL....
.
Retirement
Ricciuto announced his retirement on the 16th August, 2007 due to persistent injuries. During his career he amassed an incredible eight All Australian selections, a record matched in the AFL era only by St Kilda's Robert HarveyRobert Harvey (footballer)
Robert Jeffrey Harvey is a former Australian rules football player for the St Kilda Football Club in the Australian Football League...
. Ricciuto was also twice named All Australian captain in 2004 and 2005, joining Wayne Carey and Michael Voss as the only multiple All Australian Captains in the AFL era.
He currently plays for the Prince Alfred Old Collegians Football Club.
Family life
Ricciuto is noted for his ItalianItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
heritage, and bears a large tattoo of his family name on his back. His grandfather was born in the small Italian town of Fragneto Monforte
Fragneto Monforte
Fragneto Monforte is a comune in the Province of Benevento in the Italian region Campania.Fragneto is a green mountainous area whose history dates back from 500 BC....
On 19 January 2008 Ricciuto married Sarah Delahunt. They have a daughter, Sophie Jane (born in November 2006) and two sons, Nick Stanley (born in June 2008) and Joe Matthew (born in June 2010). Sarah and Mark are now expecting their fourth child.
Post AFL career
In 2008, he played for Prince Alfred College in division 4 of the South Australian Amateur Football League.Ricciuto played in the ANZAC day clash 2008 with Waikerie A grade against Loxton. Waikerie won the match by 38 points.
Ricciuto also played in the 2008 Riverland Grand Final with Waikerie against Renmark. In time on in the final quarter with not very much time left on the clock, Ricciuto kicked the 12th goal for Waikerie to seal back-to-back Premierships for Waikerie.
Ricciuto now works in the media is an AFL commentator for both Triple M
Triple M
The Triple M Network is an active rock radio network in Australia owned by media company Austereo, who also own the Today Network.- History :...
and Fox Sports
Fox Sports (Australia)
Fox Sports is an Australia group of sports channels. They are owned by the Premier Media Group, which is in turn owned by News Corporation, and Consolidated Media Holdings. Its main competitors are ESPN, which has little local content and the free-to-air digital channel One HD...
.
In 2011, Ricciuto was inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame
Australian Football Hall of Fame
The Australian Football Hall of Fame was established in 1996, the Centenary year of the Australian Football League, to help recognise the contributions made to the sport of Australian rules football by players, umpires, media personalities, coaches and administrators. It was initially established...
.