What had held him back was his lack of bulk—he came to the club weighing only 74 kg—however, he rectified this by pushing his playing weight up to 83 kg prior to his AFL debut.

[1] He was also among the best players for the second Test, scoring an additional three overs and helping Australia break Ireland's three-match winning streak.

[2] Caracella's stay in Brisbane only lasted two years, during which he played 34 games, including the Lions' 2003 premiership-winning team and also their unsuccessful 2004 AFL Grand Final side.

Reasons cited for his trade from both Essendon and Brisbane was to ease the strain of salary cap restrictions at both clubs.

Whilst contesting a loose ball against the Lions, Caracella slipped, and former teammate Tim Notting's hip accidentally collected his head, fracturing several vertebrae and bruising his spinal cord.

The injury horrified the football community, drawing comparisons to the quadriplegia suffered by Footscray's Neil Sachse in the 1970s.