Blake

Four Blake brothers played for Carlton.
James J. Blake 1890-1892
Tom Blake 1892 - 1897
Michael P. Blake 1893 - 1894
George Blake 1905

Football Career: VFA and VFL
Blake began his football career with St Kilda Royals junior team before joining the St Kilda senior VFA team. He was recruited by Carlton in mid-1892 and possibly made his debut on July 30 against Williamstown. His first recorded goal for Carlton came on August 13 against Footscray.

Blake's leadership qualities were quickly recognized, and he served as Carlton's Vice-Captain in 1894 before being elected captain on April 5, 1895, at the age of just 22. He led the Blues through their last two seasons in the VFA (1895-1896). During this period, the team's success was limited, winning only 14 of 63 games, with 45 losses and 4 draws. Despite the team's struggles, Blake was an outstanding player, with The Carlton Gazette noting in 1896 that his "good, solid games" were "as notable as Carlton's failures to score points."

When the VFL was formed in 1897, Blake relinquished the captaincy to Jimmy Aitken. He led Carlton's rucks into battle in the club's inaugural VFL match against Fitzroy on May 8, 1897. Unfortunately, his time in the new league was brief. After playing in Carlton's first four losses, his final match for the club was a hard-fought 11-point victory over his old team, St Kilda, in Round 6 at the Junction Oval. In total, he played 64 VFA games and 5 VFL games for Carlton.

After a season out of the game, Blake made a comeback in 1899 with St Kilda, who were in dire need of experience and leadership. He played 24 handy matches for the Saints over two seasons before retiring.

Cross-Country Champion
Tom Blake was a celebrated cross-country runner and a key member of the Collegians club. His athletic achievements included:

1893: Won the Victorian Cross-Country Championship with a time of 63 minutes and 34 seconds. He also held the five-mile cross-country record for the colony.

1895: Won the Victorian Cross-Country Championship again, this time in 59 minutes and 44.5 seconds. He was competing in this race on September 22 and missed Carlton's final game of the football season.

1896: Competed in the Victorian Cross-Country Championship and finished third in the ten-mile run with a time of 60 minutes and 50 seconds. He also won the Kew Harriers' seven-mile race.

His brother, George Blake, also won the ten-mile championship in 1900 and represented Australia at the Olympic Games. A 1935 article in the Sporting Globe noted that Tom Blake was "the first to wear spikes across country."

Legacy
Tom Blake passed away in May 1935 at the age of 63. His death was widely reported, with The Argus noting with regret the passing of the "captain of the Carlton Football Club in 1895 and amateur 10 miles cross country champion of Victoria." He was survived by his wife and two children and had been associated with the firm of McEvoy and Co. for many years.
His brother J.J. Blake played for Carlton and St.Kilda in the V.F.A.