A GENIUS AHEAD OF HIS TIME
THIS column kicked off in March with a story about my first outing to Kardinia Park in 1964 and the anticipation of seeing Graham “Polly” Farmer in action.
I wrote: “Polly was a football colossus. A commanding, charismatic figure who had inspired the Cats to VFL premiership glory in 1963; I’d come to see him play above all others.”
Similar outpourings have been shared across the nation since Polly’s passing two weeks ago, the focus sharpening this week in Perth where a state funeral was held on Monday.
Tomorrow it is the turn of the Geelong community to remember Farmer at a memorial service at Kardinia Park.
If you are attending, stop in front of the giant picture of Polly in the foyer of the Brownlow Stand and reflect on the life of a legend. If you haven’t seen it, do yourself a favour.
Farmer’s impact on Geelong – the footy club and the city – was profound despite being for only a short time, firstly as a player and later as coach of the Cats.
And it seems everyone has a Polly story.
Apart from my desire to see him play in 1964, I was also ultra-keen to get his autograph — but that was quite a task at the footy ground.
Dad suggested we pop in to the Winter and Taylor Holden showroom in Malop St where Polly worked. My hero wasn’t in when we visited; perhaps he was out the back practising his handball through the window of one of their cars. So many people have shared eyewitness accounts of that story in the past fortnight that I have been wondering how Polly found time to play. But I digress. I left my autograph book with the receptionist at W & T who assured me Mr Farmer would sign it.
A few days later Dad arrived home from work and handed me the autograph book. I hurriedly flicked to the page where it read: “To Ian, with best wishes, Graham Farmer.” I think I was more excited about the fact that Polly had touched the book than actually getting his autograph.
We talked about the Polly effect on the Coodabeen Champions radio show, which elicited a wonderful email from Jen of Belmont. She told us her family lived over the fence from the Farmers and her brother Ray was such a fan that he was even nicknamed “Polly”.
According to Jen, her brother used to wear his home-knitted No.5 Cats jumper and deliberately kick the ball over the back fence so he would have to go in and retrieve it.
“He also used to walk around and around the block wearing his jumper and bouncing the footy trying to get a glimpse of Polly. For the entire three years Polly lived there we NEVER saw him once — not in the house, the backyard or even in a car — all my brother’s efforts were in vain,” Jen said. “Hilarious! Poor Ray, he never recovered from that experience.”
My brothers and I were more fortunate than Ray.
When Polly came back from Perth to coach the Cats, he moved in just down the road from us in Highton.
We enjoyed a spot of kick-to-kick on the street and often had to stand aside as Polly drove past. It was one of those “only in Geelong” things.
Fast forward to 1978 and I was working as the Geelong Addy footy writer when the editor advised me that Polly was joining the team as a guest columnist.
I had to work hard to suppress the fan within as the orders were issued to sit down with Polly every Thursday afternoon and collaborate with him on a column about the issues of the day.
Polly was always very hospitable, with a cup of tea and nd a biscuit waiting ting on the living room table when I arrived at his house. Now, that was service; I felt like Billy Goggin on the receiving end of a sweeping handpass.
As it turned out, Polly didn’t need much help from me as his professionalism was evident immediately. He knew what he wanted to say and dictated his thoughts in a clear and logical manner. I barely changed a word when I got back to the office and hit the typewriter.
Forty years later, one column sticks in my memory as an example of his vision. It was one where Polly talked about the direction of coaching and predicted a time when clubs would employ more than one coach.
There would be specialist coaches, Polly said. One would look after the back men, another the forwards and probably a third for the rucks and rovers. I’m sure people read it without realising Polly was ahead of his time again.
He’d already been ahead of his time as a player, changing the game with his personal preparation and the use of handball to bring others into the game.
He helped change lives away from football, too, through the establishment of the Graham Farmer Foundation that has provided educational and life opportunities for Aboriginal Australians for 25 years.
That may be his greatest legacy.