AS of today, he is Geelong's only Aboriginal premiership player but Graham 'Polly' Farmer won't be at the MCG to see his beloved Cats play in Saturday's AFL Grand Final.
Not that he's not interested in what happens to his former club, but age is catching up with the grand old man of football and he's finding it difficult to move around as much.
Speaking to AboriginalFootball from his home in Perth, Farmer said he'll be watching the game on TV and is looking forward to the club attempting to win their first flag since 1963, of which he shared in.
Farmer was the Cats' big name recruit from the West in '62 and delivered on his promise after overcoming early setbacks with injury. While Farmer maintains a measure of pride at being part of that premiership, he wants the current crop of Cats to create their own history with a win on Saturday.
"Forty-plus years ... that's a long time to not win a premiership. From that point of view, 1963 is too long ago," he said.
"They have been close a few times but it's been a shame that they've not won a premiership since."
Farmer said he still keeps a close eye on football.
"It's very exciting to watch, the modern game," he said.
"Teams can dominate a whole game yet still lose. It's unique in that sense. Teams can be the best all season and still not make the grand final. It means that right to the last moment teams can't give up and that's a very good thing.
"Geelong has the record as the best team this season as minor premiers but that still doesn't guarantee that they're the best side in the competition. They have to win now to claim that title and that's the beauty of Australian Football. They have the chance to prove that they're the best side all over again in the finals series."
While his memory may be fading, Farmer can recall some of the build-up to the 1963 grand final.
"Two things back then were, in essence, Geelong: the footy club, and the Ford Motor Company," he said.
"Most of the people who lived there then had jobs at Ford and all were supporters of the footy club. It meant a lot to them when we won."
Farmer's recruitment to the Cats in 1962 was the biggest news in football at the time. But he was cruelled by injury in his very first game for Geelong and missed most of 1962.
He and the Cats started the 1963 season with a sense of purpose. That mission would culminate in a stellar season for Farmer, both personally and professionally. He came runner-up in the Brownlow Medal and he shared in a memorable premiership with a 49-point win over Hawthorn.
Farmer's career at Geelong was bookended with grand finals and it was 1967's ultimately unsuccessful decider that would be his 101st, and last, game for the Cats. He returned home to WA and enjoyed premiership success as a player/coach with West Perth in the WAFL. He returned to Victoria in 1973 and coached the club he captained for two seasons.
For all the personal accolades, however, Farmer is quick to talk up others of his time in Geelong, notably, his former coach Bob Davis.
"Bobby deserves all the credit for that (1963) premiership," he said.
"It was he who assembled that line-up. It was he who flew around the country to bring us all together. It was his hard work that came to fruition. He worked day and night to achieve that. People often forget that.
"Geelong were one of the best sides in the 1950s and they won just two premierships out of something like four or five grand finals, then Bobby came along and worked his guts off and delivered a premiership in '63. And we're still waiting for another one."
For Farmer, and hundreds of thousands of long-suffering Cats fans, that wait may well be over.
DARREN MONCRIEFF
AboriginalFootball@westnet.com.au
Thursday 27 September 2008
Last Modified on 30/05/2012 17:58