https://www.carltonfc.com.au/news/12185 ... asses-away

Taken too young.

RIP Mario.

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It's never as good as it looks and it's never as bad as it seems.

Tragic news. So sudden.
RIP

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Our tradition demands success!

Vale Mario Bortolotto

I met him through his girlfriend, and what a great guy he was.
He introduced me to a suburb I avoided, he said was about to take off, Kensington.
What a cool spot and IIRC the house back in 1991 was bought for $68K. Brick too.

He was a gentleman and a Carlton Premiership player. A big boy. Now a legend.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

RIP Mario. An unassuming, consistent defender and a decent plumber from all reports.

As kids we talked about this for weeks...one of the many highlights from season 1981.

He was a decent plumber, and good with the tools. Dressed the part too.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

Blue overalls?

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“When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn't become a king. The palace turns into a circus.”
Turkish Proverb

Played in our 1983 night grand final also if memory serves

Sent from my Nokia G21 using Tapatalk

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#DonTheStash

RIP.

That's quite remarkable that he's the first member of the 81 team to die, we've been very lucky.

Very sad, in a round about way we acquired his red AVCO training top which was passed around our family - not sure who has it now.

Condolences to his family.

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"Hence you will not say that Greeks fight like heroes but that heroes fight like Greeks"?

Winston Churchill

So sad.
A classic example of someone who made the most of every opportunity.
Vale Mario, and thank you.

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Princes Park - always was, always will be.

Met him a number of years ago was a true Gentlemen
Right place right time but tough and strong team player

RIP Mario ............far too young . I often use the term " Foot Soldiers ". Mario was the ultimate foot soldier . A grinding workman like Tradie if you ever have seen one . My favourite memories of Mario ? thats easy , the "82 Grand Final when he smacked Cloke in the mouth early and towards the end of the match when he gave squealer Bartlett a little cheapie in the guts . Bartlett was nearly in tears crying to the umpire AGAIN . Those two actions make Mario a revered Carlton player in my mind . Rest peacefully forever big fella .

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All my dangerous friends

Agreed Mick, ''Foot Soldier'' sums up Mario perfectly. Champion teams have champions aplenty, but the ''Foot Soldiers'' also have their role to play. Mario did that as did another '' Foot Soldier'' in earlier great Carlton sides, Neil Chandler.

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The problem with Socialism is, you eventually run out of other people's money.

RIP Mario. A true unsung hero. His belting of David Cloke was brilliant for more than 1 reason, but to show those cheating tiger scum we weren't going to be a pushover really helped us to win that game. Fond memories, and always in our heart.

It was only nine years earlier that Neil Balme took out Geoff Southby.

Southby got injured in the semi-final in 82.

Mario took Southby’s spot and was there to square up.

Unfortunately Balme had left Melbourne a couple of years earlier so Cloke it was…

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“When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn't become a king. The palace turns into a circus.”
Turkish Proverb

Parkin tells the story of giving the instruction to the team that if any of our guys got flattened not to run in for a melee but to smack the guy next to them. Only Mario obeyed. Of course I told the story to my little daughter. Picture the scene of my 11 yo old daughter playing in the U18s. The coach warns the other side are thugs and asks rhetorically what do we do when they thump one of ours. My daughter Lizzie (or as she was known in the team little red - she's 7/8ths Celtic which may explain this story) puts her hand up and says "there was this Carlton coach who said ..." Whilst the coach quickly explained that wasn't what he meant, the Assistant Coach - an ex-boxer and then a bouncer at a brothel - had the biggest smile!

Had the pleasure of meeting Mario in the early 2000s, he walked into my work and was genuinely surprised that someone would know who he was. RIP

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Between our dreams and actions lies this world

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THEY LIKE TO SEND UP!!!!!!!!

Until each team plays each other the same number of times, the AFL, as a fair dinkum competition, cannot be taken seriously.

He (Mr Swann) said the honour and pride associated with the club's traditional navy blue jumper was priceless.