Adam Chatfield: 22nd June
Career: 2000 (On list: 1998-2001)
Only Game: Round 19, 2000 vs Western Bulldogs
1042nd Carlton Player
Games: 1
Goals: Nil
Guernsey No. 13
Height: 189cm
Weight: 81kg
DOB: 22 June, 1979
Adam Chatfield was a hard working flanker from the ACT Rams (originally from Pennant Hills in New South Wales), taken with Pick 23 in the 1997 National Draft. Chatfield, who played with a mop of long blonde hair and had a sharp, pointy nose, had a fine, long if not airey kick on both sides of the body, but unfortunately struggled to crack it into the Carlton team.
He wore the #13 guernsey.
Chatfield was on Carlton’s list for 4 seasons from 1998-2001 and while he managed to play a solitary game for Carlton in Round 19, 2000, he was never actually named in Carlton’s senior team- gaining a last minute call up when named as an emergency, after 2 players were late withdrawals. After just 8 possessions and with the return of senior players the next week, he failed to be selected a second time.
He spent the whole of 1998 in the reserves, while in 1999 was troubled by a series of injuries to his scaphoid, ankle and jaw. 2000 and 2001 were spent in the VFL in all but his one senior call up. He went on to have a year or two on the Geelong rookie list.
Mario Bortolotto: 26th June
Playing Career : 1981 – 1983
Debut : Round 1, 1981 vs Richmond, aged 23 years, 275 days
Carlton Player No. 887
Games : 30
Goals : 1
Guernsey No. 6
Last game : Round 21, 1983 vs North Melbourne, aged 26 years, 54 days
Height : 189 cm
Weight : 87 kg
DOB : 26 June, 1957
Premiership Player 1981, 1982
Mario Bortolotto was a journeyman defender who began his VFL career at Geelong, only to be dumped without warning after a handful of senior appearances. He was then picked up by Carlton – and through a mixture of diligence, luck and circumstance, gained a place in the Blues’ 1981 and ’82 Premiership teams.
By coincidence, Bortolotto’s career at Princes Park ran parallel with that of West Australian sensation Peter Bosustow. They played their first and last matches for Carlton together, and shared in the glory of those back-to-back flags. But while ‘The Buzz’ kicked 146 goals in his celebrated 65 games, Bortolotto managed just 30 matches and one goal over the same period.
Since then, it has become fashionable to disparage Bortolotto as barely a fringe player – conveniently overlooking the fact that he spent his career at Carlton battling for his place in a playing list that in terms of depth of talent, was one of the strongest in our history. In reality, he was more than a handy alternative anywhere in defence, and reliable whenever he was given his chance to play in big games. He was also popular around the club, particularly because of his ready sense of humour.
This was evident when he once participated in one of Lou Richard’s stunts for The Sun newspaper. Lou had made a statement along the lines of, ‘the Blues can’t win this week. If they do, I will have Mario tip a bucket of spaghetti over my head in Lygon St.’ Carlton duly got up, and a few days later, the back page of the paper featured a beaming Bortolotto doing just that; emptying a large bowl of pasta (complete with sauce) over a hapless Richards.
Mario’s path to VFL football began at his home town of Koondrook in north-western Victoria. After a standout couple of seasons for St Patrick’s College at Ballarat during the last years of his schooling, he was playing senior football for local club Leopold when Geelong first showed interest in the solidly-built centre half-back.
In 1979, he made his VFL debut for the Cats, and racked up 14 games and three goals over two seasons. In one of those matches – against Carlton at Kardinia Park in round 12, 1979, he impressed by keeping Carlton’s star forward Mark Maclure under a tight rein all day, as Geelong inflicted a rare defeat on the Blues. He didn’t know it at the time, but that performance was to be the pivotal moment in Bortolotto’s football career.
Thanks to the Blueseum for pics and bios.