Graham Farmer

Australian rules footballer and coach (1935-2019)

Graham Vivian "Polly" Farmer MBE (10 March 1935 – 14 August 2019[1][2]) was an Australian rules football player and coach. He was a handballer.

Polly Farmer
MBE
Farmer in 1954
Personal information
Full name Graham Vivian Farmer
Nickname(s) Polly
Date of birth (1935-03-10)10 March 1935
Place of birth North Fremantle, Western Australia, Australia
Date of death 14 August 2019(2019-08-14) (aged 84)
Place of death Murdoch, Western Australia
Original team Maddington (SSFA)
Position(s) Ruckman
Career highlights

Club

Representative

Overall

Farmer joined the East Perth Football Club as a ruckman in 1953. He later played for the Victorian Football League (VFL) in 1962 for the Geelong Football Club, where he played 101 games. Farmer returned to Western Australia and became the captain/coach of the West Perth Football Club in 1968.

In 1999, Farmer was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.[3] He died in Fiona Stanley Hospital in Murdoch, Western Australia on 14 August 2019 from the disease, aged 84.[2] After his death, an autopsy revealed that Farmer had been suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).[4]

References

change
  1. Connolly, Rohan (1 July 2008). "Polly Farmer No. 5 The Legends' 50 greatest". The Age. p. 7.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Butler, Steve (14 August 2019). "Aussie rules great Graham 'Polly' Farmer dies aged 84 at Fiona Stanley Hospital". The West Australian. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  3. "Indigenous AFL trailblazer Graham 'Polly' Farmer dies aged 84". The Guardian. 13 August 2019.
  4. "CTE discovered in Polly Farmer's brain in AFL-first". The Age. Retrieved September 21, 2024.