Height/Weight 202 cm / 99 kg Height 2.02 m Name Adrian Deluca | 2004–2006 Carlton Years Club Weight 99 kg | |
Date of birth (1982-05-15) 15 May 1982 (age 33) Original team(s) Oakleigh Chargers / Port Melbourne Debut Round 1, 27 March 2004, Carlton
v. Fremantle, at Subiaco Role Australian Rules Footballer | ||
Adrian Deluca (born 15 May 1982) is a former Australian rules footballer 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 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 VFL-affiliate.
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. He made a return to suburban football in 2012, playing for Airport West in the Essendon District Football League, where he was part of the team's 2012 Division 1 premiership, before retiring again at the end of the season.
His younger brother, Fabian, also played in the AFL with Port Adelaide, and played alongside Adrian at Port Melbourne for part of his career.