The Carlton Football Club’s Bushfire Disaster Appeal has received over 675 donations in just five days and now sits at $78,651 on the back of the generosity of Blues fans and players. 

Leading the way off the field as he does on the field, co-captain Patrick Cripps has raised over $30,000 to the appeal, donating 100 2019 Carlton guernseys and five Cripps Wings memorabilia pieces, all personally signed.

Cripps wasn’t alone as his fellow co-captain Sam Docherty along with Mitch McGovern, Nic Newman, Lochie O’Brien, Harrison Macreadie and Matthew Owies all rolled up their sleeves to pack much needed hampers at FoodBank. 

AFLW star Tayla Harris is also auctioning off a pair of her match-worn boots, with the highest bid currently sitting at over $8,000. 

It hasn’t just been the players who have put their hands up at the Club, with the Carlton Cheersquad holding a raffle that will see 100 per cent of proceeds going to those affected by the bushfires. 

The Club is also fully committed to the industry-wide approach taken by the AFL and all 18 clubs to play a State of Origin game on Friday 28 February at Marvel Stadium. 

A list of initiatives facilitated by the Club to assist impacted communities can be found below. 

• A $50,000 donation from the Club, in addition to the $2,500,000 donation made by the AFL and the 18 clubs.
  
  
• Participation of Carlton players in the AFL State of Origin game on Friday 28 February at Marvel Stadium.
  
  
• Support for any player who wants to be involved in the State of Origin game.
  
  
• Player-led fundraising initiatives such as generous donations and volunteering.
  
  
• Creation of the Carlton Bushfire Disaster Appeal Go Fund Me page, which has accumulated nearly 700 donations totalling almost $80,000.

Carlton CEO Cain Liddle expressed his deepest sympathy to those affected by the crisis and was proud to see the response from everyone involved with the Club.

“We’ve all been moved by this crisis and it’s affected our whole club in different ways. It’s been fantastic to see players from our AFL and AFLW lists go out of their way to help those going through this difficult time,” Liddle said.

“The Blues faithful have once again shown their passion to support, digging deep with over 667 donations, contributing close to $80,000 to the impacted communities.

“As a club, we send our best wishes to all those battling the fires and we encourage all our members and fans to continue to contribute where they can.”

The Club still has a goal of raising $100,000 for the Bushfire Disaster Appeal, so for those that can, please continue to donate here to support the volunteers, wildlife and locals who have been impacted by this crisis.