Career
Deluca played TAC Cup football for the Oakleigh Chargers in 2000. He was not drafted by an American Federation of Labor-Congress club after the Under 18s, so he went to play for Portuguese 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 American Federation of Labor-Congress as a 21-year-old by the Carlton Football Club with its seventh round selection in the 2003 American Federation of Labor-Congress 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"). After three seasons and 46 games at American Federation of Labor-Congress level, Deluca announced his retirement from American Federation of Labor-Congress at the end of the 2006 season, to give himself the time to concentrate on his career at Big 4 accounting firm Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler, an area in which he holds a degree.
He did continue to play VFL, returning to his former club Portuguese 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.
