Former Carlton great Alex Jesaulenko has been named captain of the AFL’s inaugural Multicultural Team of Champions, which includes fellow premiership players Anthony Koutoufides and Stephen Silvagni.
Click here to view the full team.
Jesaulenko, a Legend of the Australian Football Hall of Fame and four-time Carlton Premiership player, was today declared on-field leader of the coveted 22-man team (coached by James Francis “Jock” McHale) for the period 1896 – 2013, which includes players who must have been born overseas or had at least one overseas-born parent.
Born in Salzburg to Ukrainian parents who migrated to Australia in the immediate post-World War II years, Jesaulenko finds a place in the 22 with two other former Carlton Premiership players – the AFL Team of the 20th Century full-back Stephen Silvagni and the 2000 AFLPA MVP Anthony Koutoufides – whose respective mothers Rita and Anna are Italian-born.
No other team in the pre-eminent Australian Rules football competition boasts stronger links with the Italians than the Carlton Football Club. That is because a total of 26 Carlton players of Italian origin – including the game’s one and only Italian-born footballer Pietro (Peter) Paolo Bevilacqua – can lay claim to having donned the famous dark Navy Blue guernsey.
Amongst them is Ron Barassi - Carlton’s dual premiership coach and League football’s most famous name – together with the Silvagnis Sergio and Stephen, who by their deeds have brought honor and glory to the great Australian game.
The following is a team of Carlton’s Italian 22 (senior players eligible are either Italian-born or boast an Italian-born parent or grandparents:
Backs Anthony Franchina, Stephen Silvagni, Vito “Vic”Garra
Half backs John Benetti, Mario Bortolotto, Steve Da Rui
Centres Scott Camporeale, Andrew Carrazzo, Frank Marchesani
Half-forwards Dennis Munari, Anthony Koutoufides (capt.), Ron De Iulio
Forwards Mark Arceri, Brendan Fevola, Andrew Cavedon
Rucks Albert Boromeo, Sergio Silvagni, Vin Catoggio
I/change, Adrian De Luca, Alby De Luca, Domenic Fotia
Sub Peter Bevilacqua
Coach Ron Barassi jun.*
*(Barassi is ineligible for on-field selection under this criteria as his great grandfather was Italian-born)
