Graham Farmer

Graham Farmer
Farmer in 1954
Personal information
Full name	Graham Vivian Farmer
Nickname(s)	Polly
Date of birth	(1935-03-10) 10 March 1935 (age 82)
Original team(s)	East Perth
Height / weight	191 cm / 94 kg
Position(s)	Ruckman
Playing career1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
1953–1961	East Perth	176 (157)
1962–1967	Geelong	101 (65)
1968–1971	West Perth	79 (55)
Representative team honours
Years	Team	Games (Goals)
1955–1971	Western Australia Victoria	31 (17) 5 (?)
International team honours
1968	Australia
Coaching career3
Years	Club	Games (W–L–D)
1968–1971	West Perth	91 (60–29–2)
1973–1975	Geelong	66 (24–42–0)
1976–1977	East Perth	45 (30–15–0)
1970–1971, 1977	Western Australia	6 (2-4-0)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1971. 3 Coaching statistics correct as of 1977.
Career highlights
Club 5× WAFL Premiership: 1956, 1958, 1959, 1969, 1971 VFL Premiership: 1963 3× Sandover Medal: 1956, 1957, 1960 7× East Perth Best and Fairest: 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1960, 1961 2× Geelong Best and Fairest: 1963, 1964 West Perth Best and Fairest: 1969 2× Simpson Medal (Grand Final): 1959, 1969 Geelong Team of the Century West Perth Team of the Century East Perth Post War Team of the Century Representative Tassie Medal: 1956 3× All Australian: 1956, 1958, 1961 2× Simpson Medal (Interstate): 1956, 1961 Overall Australian Football Hall of Fame - Legend Status - (Inaugural Legend) AFL Team of the Century Western Australian Team of the Century - (Vice-Captain) Indigenous Team of the Century - (Captain)
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Club

Representative

Overall

Graham Vivian "Polly" Farmer, MBE (born 10 March 1935) is a retired Australian rules football player and coach. Born in Western Australia, he joined the East Perth Football Club as a ruckman in 1953, where he won several awards and contributed to the team winning three premierships. He was recruited to the Victorian Football League (VFL) league in 1962 for the Geelong Football Club, where he played 101 games and captained the team for three seasons. Farmer returned to Western Australia and became the captain/coach of the West Perth Football Club in 1968, leading the club to premierships against East Perth in 1969 and 1971. After retiring as a player, he coached Geelong, East Perth and Western Australia's first state of origin team.

Farmer is an official Legend of Australian rules football, and he revolutionised ruckwork and handballing. The Graham Farmer Freeway in his hometown of Perth is named in his honour.

Farmer was born in Hillcrest Hospital, North Fremantle and brought up at Sister Kate’s orphanage in Queen's Park. Farmer said, "If it had not been for Sister Kate's, I would have had an ice block’s hope in hell of ever leading a normal life. I owe her and all her dedicated helpers everything – for giving me the chance to make something of myself. I was one of the lucky ones." A bout of poliomyelitis left Farmer with his left leg shorter than his right leg. According to Farmer, he was nicknamed "Polly the Parrot" as a six-year-old because people thought he chattered away like a parrot. At high school, Farmer was spotted by talent scouts for East Perth Football Club, and joined the team.