ZCZC
BFF-33
AFL-AUS-INDIGENOUS
Aussie Rules mourns passing of ‘greatest big man’
SYDNEY, Aug 14, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Aussie Rules was mourning the passing of Graham ‘Polly’ Farmer Wednesday, an indigenous trailblazer considered the game’s “greatest big man” and revolutionary of the national sport.
Farmer has long-been regarded as one of the best Aussie Rules players of all time, playing 356 games between 1953 and 1971 in Victoria and his home state of Western Australia.
A ruckman, often the tallest player on the field tasked with jumping into his counterpart and tapping the ball to his teammates, Farmer pioneered the position by leaping early and at times grabbing the ball out of the air with two hands.
His athleticism and attacking passing to teammates by hand revolutionised the game and inspired generations of footballers.
Australian Football League chief executive Gillion McLachlan described the hall-of-famer as “the greatest big man in the history of Australian football”.
“At every point of his career, his teams found success on the field, thanks largely to his dominance that built a record that few players could ever hope to match,” McLachlan said in a statement.
Farmer, who grew up in an orphanage, was considered an indigenous trailblazer in a sport that has long-struggled with racism.
“Beyond football, as a proud Noongar man, he was a leader for the Aboriginal community and his standing in the game and in society enabled his people to believe that they too could reach the peaks and achieve their best potential,” McLachlan added.
“He laid the path for so many great footballers from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to come into the elite levels of the game and showcase their skills.”
The Graham ‘Polly’ Farmer foundation was established in 1994 to further the education outcomes of indigenous children, and has supported more than 1,800 students with their schooling.
Farmer won six premierships as a player with East Perth, Geelong and West Perth.
He was one of 12 inaugural legends inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame when it was founded in 1996.
Farmer passed away in Perth Wednesday aged 84 after a long battle with dementia.
BSS/AFP/AU/12:55 hrs