Graham (Polly) Farmer: Australian Football
Graham Vivian “Polly” Farmer, MBE (born 10 March 1935 in Western Australia) was a Australian rules football player and coach. He started his career with East Perth in the WAFL where he played from 1953 to 1961 with a total of 176 games. Farmer was then recruited to the Victorian Football League in 1962 for the Geelong Football Club where he played 101 games and became captain for three seasons. In 1968, he returned to Western Australia and became the coach and captain of the West Perth Football Club that led the club to several premierships against East Perth.
Greatest Sporting Achievements
Farmer has a Legend Status in the Australian Hall of Fame. He’s received the Tassie Medal in 1956, All-Australian three times and Simpson Medal twice. He helped the club win the WAFL Premiership five times from 1956, 1958 to 1959, 1969 and 1971 and the VFL Premiership in 1963. Polly Farmer is a seven-time East Perth Best and Fairest; two-time Geelong Best and Fairest and a one-time West Perth Best and Fairest. He was vice captain when they won the Western Australian Team of the Century Award and the captain of the Indigenous Team of the Century.
Why Was He So Good?
Graham Farmer was an unskilled ruckman but he was ground-breaking and exceptionally effective when using the hand pass as an offensive weapon. His direction was always flawless and the distance was regularly as good as a kick.
What You May Not Know
- In 1971, he became the first Australian footballer to receive a Queen’s honor when he was named a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the New Year honors list.
- He established the Polly Farmer Foundation – a foundation “to assist young Aboriginal people with potential to do something with their lives... Not just sport, but in the professions and business… want to develop links with the tertiary institutions and make sure Aboriginal people become leaders.”
- Graham met his wife Marlene in 1956 and married in 1957. They have three children.
- John Watts, Bob Davis and Sam Newman held two fundraising events for him to be established with the money and to buy the family a new home. They raised $120,000.
- In 2000, he sold his 1956, 1957 and 1960 Sandover medals, as well as his MBE, to fund his retirement.
Related Pages
- More Australian Football legendary players
- Athlete Database home
- About the sport of Australian Football
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