Pat Farrelly, the Carlton Football Club's second oldest surviving player, has died at Creswick, aged 94.

Recruited to the club from Launceston's City Club (later City South), Farrelly represented the Blues in seven senior matches for seven goals in 1937. He wore the No.20 guernsey later made famous by Carlton premiership players Ray Garby, Wes Lofts, Geoff Southby and Fraser Brown.

Patrick Stanley Farrelly was born on May 28, 1913. A big man for his time, Farrelly stood 6'2½" in the old measurement (190cm) and tipped the scales at 13.11 (87.5kg). A forward/ruckman, Farrelly made his senior debut against South Melbourne at the Lakeside Oval in Round 12, 1937, booting two of the Blues' seven goals for the match. His best return of four goals came in Carlton's Round 14 victory over Melbourne at Princes Park.

"Dad came across from rural Tasmania with very little education. He had to stand out for a while because of a clearance wrangle," his son Brian recalled.

"At the end of '37 or beginning of '38 he had a big bust-up with the then secretary over promises made and not kept. He decided to leave but Carlton wouldn't clear him so he stood out . . . but Carlton wanted Brighton Diggins and a deal was done."

Diggins captained and coached Carlton to the premiership in 1938 - the same year Farrelly represented South Melbourne in six games for just the one goal.

Though South arranged work for Farrelly through Depression times, work was arduous and Farrelly found greater financial incentive at Camberwell in the VFA, where the likes of Laurie Nash and Roy Cazaly pursued their careers.

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Farrelly was a good friend of former Carlton teammate the late Jim Francis with whom he worked on the Melbourne waterfront.

Farrelly, whose wife Elsie died earlier this year, died at Creswick Hospital on Monday. He is survived by his sons Brian and Ray, six grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

Clen Denning, an 18-game Carlton footballer between 1935 and '36 who was famous for booting six goals with his first six kicks in League football and who later represented Fitzroy in its 1944 Grand Final victory, is the oldest surviving Carlton footballer at age 95 years and six months.

The directors, management, staff and players of the Carlton Football Club extended their deepest sympathies to the Farrelly family.

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