South-west mourns two-time Carlton premiership player

Goold played in two premierships with Carlton, including the famous 1970 victory when the Blues came from 40 points down at half-time to defeat Collingwood by 10 points.

He opened up to The Standard about his health battles in December 2022.

Goold said he had been diagnosed with liver cancer in July 2022 and underwent a seven-hour operation which saw 45 per cent of his liver removed in the marathon operation.

Just weeks ago, Goold told The Standard his health was in decline but he had no complaints about his lot in life as he had received wonderful support from family, friends and the Carlton Football Club.

"I've been very lucky in my life on so many levels," he said. "The last few years have been very tough but I've been lucky because my partner Deb of more than 40 years has been my backstop.

"There's no way known I would have got through my health battles without Deb by my side. I've also been very lucky to have had a great medical team including Dr Jim Butler, Mr Sean Mackay and Dr John Menzies helping me through some very tough times and mates from Carlton and some amazing friends."

Deb described Goold as a unique person who had left an impact on lots of people.

"I've received numerous messages since John's passing and some are priceless," she said.

"John had the unique ability of mixing it with people at all levels of life. Many people know about John's football deeds but he also loved horses and hounds.

"He was heavily involved in fox hunting. He was invited to America to speak in front of 400 guests at a fox-hunting function which was a wonderful compliment.

"John had a real passion for the south-west and loved nothing more than being outside on the farm with our various animals."

Carlton players will wear black armbands in their game against Essendon on Sunday, June 9 as a mark of respect.