Vale Graham "Polly" Farmer

Australian Football icon Graham “Polly” Farmer has passed away today aged 84. Farmer’s record, as a player and coach combined, is likely the most accomplished in the sport’s history. Among his impressive achievements are an astonishing ten club best and fairest awards. The champion ruckman is adjudged by former Geelong legend and teammate Sam Newman as “the greatest player to have played the game.”

AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan dubbed Farmer “the greatest of all the big men” which reaffirms his status as the premiere ruckman in Australian Football history. This title is evidenced by his position in first ruck in the VFL/AFL Team of the Century.

Polly is credited by many as revolutionising the now revered skill of ruckwork in Australian Football as well as a pioneer in the use of the handball as an attacking weapon.

Farmer is widely regarded as a key trailblazer for Indigenous Australians within Australian Football. Polly was named as the captain of the Indigenous Team of the Century and was the first Indigenous Australian to coach a VFL/AFL team. Off the field was a patron for the Polly Farmer Foundation, a non-profit organisation that promotes the importance of education in the Indigenous community.

Below is his unmatched record.

- The first Australian Footballer to receive a Queen’s Honour; he was named a Member of the Order of the British Empire.

- Sport Australia Hall of Fame

- Inaugural Legend of the Australian Football Hall of Fame

- Member of six Team of the Centuries (VFL/AFL, WAFL, Indigenous, East Perth, Geelong and West Perth) – Record

- Three Sandover Medals – Equal Record

- Six Premierships (5x WAFL and 1x VFL)

- Simpson Medal (for Best on Ground in WAFL Grand Final)

- Ten club Best and Fairests (7x East Perth, 2x Geelong and 1x West Perth) - Record

- Western Australian Football Hall of Fame (Legend)

- Geelong Hall of Fame (Legend)

- First Indigenous Australian to coach a VFL/AFL team

- Three Simpson Medals (for State of Origin performances)

- Geelong Captain (1965-1967)

- West Perth Captain-Coach (1968-1971)

- 356 games as a player (176 for East Perth, 101 for Geelong and 79 for West Perth)

- 202 games as a coach (91 for West Perth, 66 for Geelong and 45 for East Perth) for a 57% winning record

- 36 state games as a player (31 for Western Australian and 5 for Victoria)

- 6 state games as a coach of Western Australia

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