AFL legend Polly Farmer dies

Australian football legend Graham “Polly” Farmer has died in Perth aged 84.

The Western Australian, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease 24 years ago, passed away in Perth’s Fiona Stanley Hospital with his family by his side.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest ruckmen of all time, Farmer was named in the AFL Team of the Century in 1996 and as captain of the Indigenous Team of the Century in 2005.

Throughout his career as a player, Farmer played 356 games from 1953 to 1971 for East Perth, the Geelong Cats and West Perth across the WAFL and VFL leagues.

He was also named an All Australian in 1956, 1958, and 1961, and won the Sandover Medal three times.

Farmer also coached the Cats from 1973 to 1975, becoming the first Indigenous coach in the league.

Tributes have flowed for the trailblazer.

AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan described Farmer as “the greatest big man in the history of Australian football”.

“When the Australian Football Hall of Fame was founded in 1996, Graham Farmer was one of the elite dozen players in our game’s history who was deemed both exceptional and worthy to be an inaugural Legend,” McLachlan said.

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Geelong great Sam Newman, who played alongside Farmer between 1964 and 1967, said the late ruckman was “the engine room” and “the heart and soul” of the Cats during his time there.

“He was great physically, mentally he was unbeaten and spiritually he was the soul of the Geelong Football Club and possibly the soul of the people he represented,” Newman said.

“I learned my whole football craft from being in a team and watching him play. He was a tremendous inspiration.

“He was a marvellous man who overcame adversity and never whinged about it and just made every post a winner because he was dedicated and committed … He was a true – and I know this is bandied around a lot – a true legend of our game.”

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Geelong chief executive Brian Cook said Farmer transformed Australian football. “The Geelong Football Club will forever be better due to the fact that Polly coached us,” Cook said.

“He was courageous enough to take a strong leadership role in a time when it must have been really tough for him and his people, and he did it with flying colours.”