Google “supporter” and you’ll find listed a series of synonyms like “advocate”, “backer”, “adherent”, “promoter”, “champion” and “campaigner”. These are words which could so easily apply to the likes of Rory Middleton, Jaquie Molloy, Matthew Ciardulli and the former Carlton ruckman Mark Porter.
They are amongst the 80 men, women and children to have committed to the club as Members in the hours since the team’s diabolical performance at the MCG last Sunday . . . and that is because their ties to Carlton are lifelong.
Porter, the former Carlton and North Melbourne ruckman in 55 games for both clubs, took out a Carlton Membership on Monday “and I’d been meaning to do it for a while”.
“I haven’t got a lot of time to go to the footy, but I’m happy to commit a couple of bucks to the Blues,” said Porter, now Private client Advisor for Shadforth Financial Group.
“Quite honestly, I’d like to see both Carlton and North do well.”
Rory Middleton, a 20 year-old South Hobart- based supporter, signed on as a Country and Interstate member “because I’ve grown up supporting Carlton since I was born”.
“Win, lose or draw, the timing wasn’t based on the weekend’s game. I signed because I’m keeping an interest in Carlton,” Middleton said.
“I don’t get to a lot of games, but whenever I’m ever in Melbourne I do my best. Regardless, I just saw the need to sign now and fingers crossed a win’s not far away.”
Jaquie Molloy, a 50 year-old coach, counsellor and mentor to Melbourne CEOs in the corporate sector, said her decision to take out two Captains Club Reserved Seat Memberships was simply random in its timing.
“Admittedly last Sunday wasn’t pretty, but we are better than what we showed . . . and I’m a Blues supporter through and through,” Molloy said.
Domiciled in North Fitzroy since 1992, Molloy originally hailed from Adelaide and grew up supporting Norwood, and while her uncle Graham Molloy played for Melbourne and another, Ralph Rogerson, captained Fitzroy, Carlton was always her club of choice given her close proximity to Princes Park. As she said: “I used to love walking to the games. There was a great charm in this”.
Matthew Ciardulli also regarded his decision to recommit this week as a no-brainer.
“For me it was never really an option not to sign on. I’d been planning to do it prior to the first game I could get to,” said Ciardulli, a first-year Bachelor of Arts student at Melbourne University .
“All of my Dad’s family are Carlton supporters and I’m a lifelong supporter. I’m 19 now and I’ve been a member since 2001.”
Carlton Membership Manager Nicole Rowlings commended each of the club’s latest financial supporters for pledging their hard-earned at a time when the club needed it most.
As she said: “Even though we haven’t had the success we would’ve liked on-field leading into Round 4, it’s great to see the commitment our supporters have shown, with 80 people signing up as members since Sunday night.”
