Jeff Farmer (footballer)

Infobox afl player


firstname = Jeffrey
lastname = Farmer


|heightweight = 175cm / 81kg
birthdate = birth date|1977|6|24|df=y
birthplace = Tambellup
originalteam = Tambellup, Western Australia
dead = alive
deathdate =
deathplace =
debutdate = Round 1, 1 April 1995
debutteam = Melbourne
debutopponent = Geelong
debutstadium = Kardinia Park
playingteams = Melbourne (1995-2001)

118 games, 259 goals

Fremantle (2002-2008)

131 games, 224 goals

Career 249 games, 483 goals
coach = notcoach
coachingteams =
statsend = 2008 AFL season
careerhighlights =

*AFL Rising Star nominee 1996
*Melbourne Leading Goalkicker 1997 (equal), 1998, 2000
*International Rules Series 1998
*All-Australian 2000
*AFL Goal of the Year 1998

Jeff Farmer (born 24 June 1977) is a former Australian rules footballer of Aboriginal descent. He was the first indigenous player to kick 400 goals and is the current all time leading goal scorer for indigenous footballers in the Australian Football League.

Melbourne career

Known as "The Wizard" (or "The Wiz") because of his uncanny ability to create goals from nothing, Farmer began his professional football career with the Melbourne Football Club in 1995. Farmer has always been one of the AFL's most exciting players. [cite news | publisher=The Age |title=Pride & Prejudice'|url=http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/pride-amp-prejudice/2007/05/05/1177788462032.html |date= 2007-05-05|accessdate=2007-05-19]

His career best goalkicking performance came against Collingwood at the MCG in 2000 when he kicked 9 goals in the second half after barely being able to get a touch in the first two quarters. He was taken from the field for the third quarter and was on the interchange bench before Ben Beams suffered a broken wrist and was unable to continue. He finished the 2000 season with a career best 76 goals and was named in the All-Australian team.

After 118 games and 259 goals for Melbourne, he was traded to Fremantle at the end of 2001.

Fremantle career

Farmer's first two seasons with Fremantle were disappointing, with less than 30 goals in each year, but in 2004, his consistency improved and he was the Dockers' 2nd most productive forward for each of the 2004 [ [http://stats.rleague.com/afl/stats/2004.html#8 2004 Fremantle Player Stats] ] , 2005 [ [http://stats.rleague.com/afl/stats/2005.html#8 2005 Fremantle Player Stats] ] and 2006 [ [http://stats.rleague.com/afl/stats/2006.html#8 2006 Fremantle Player Stats] ] seasons.

During the 2006 home and away season, Farmer had his most productive season since 2000, kicking 50 goals from just 19 games, with a 31 goals in 7 games effort towards the end of the season. Due to this run of good form, he was thought by many to be a good chance of making All-Australian selection in the forward pocket. He was not, however, selected. [ [http://www.afl.com.au/Season2007/Awards/AllAustralian/tabid/863/Default.aspx All Australian News] ]

At the end of the 2008 AFL season Farmer announced his retirement from AFL football, leaving him stranded on 249 games. [AAP; [http://news.realfooty.com.au/sport/jeff-farmer-retires-from-afl-20080902-47xn.html Jeff Farmer retires from AFL] ; Realfooty; 2 September 2008] His 483 career goals, including three in his final game, is the 49th most in VFL/AFL history and his 224 goals for Fremantle is second behind Matthew Pavlich.

Controversial incidents

In November 2004, Farmer pleaded guilty to assaulting his long-time girlfriend and was fined $2,000.

In December 2006 he was alleged to have been involved in a nightclub fight in which a Subiaco Football Club player, Greg Broughton, suffered a broken eye socket. [http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=12&ContentID=27350 Nightclub punch puts Farmer out for months] ] No charges were laid.

Farmer was arrested in April 2007 and charged with assault for knocking out a security guard at a Perth nightclub after being refused entry. The Fremantle Football Club fined him $5,100 and suspended him for a further 6 weeks on top of his existing AFL enforced suspension for eye gouging another player during a pre-season game, which was his 10th suspension and his 14th appearance before the tribunal. In court, Farmer pleaded guilty to assault and was fined $3,000. [cite news | first=Australian Associated Press | title=Farmer arrested and charged with assault |date=April 29, 2007. | publisher= The Sydney Morning Herald | url =http://www.smh.com.au/news/Sport/Farmer-arrested-and-charged-with-assault/2007/04/29/1177787950402.html ] [ [http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,21338910-12428,00.html Six matches for Farmer ] ] [ [http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,21339035%255E20322,00.html Herald Sun Footy Story Page ] ] [cite news | publisher=The Age |title=Farmer fined over nightclub assault |url=http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/farmer-fined-over-nightclub-assault/2007/05/03/1177788276578.html |date=2007-05-19 |accessdate =2007-05-19]

After serving his full suspension, Farmer returned to the Fremantle side on 30 June in the round 13 game against Carlton at Subiaco Oval. Farmer together with Des Headland, who was himself implicated in another nightclub fight during the week, [AAP; [http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=145&ContentID=32660 Headland latest Docker involved in off-field bother] ; 27 June 2007;Retrieved on 1 July 2007] were amongst the best players on the field and led the way to a 77 point thrashing. This was Fremantle's second highest ever score and their greatest winning margin ever against Carlton. [ [http://afl.allthestats.com/records/HighestScores.php?t1=7 Fremantle's Highest Ever Scores] ; Retrieved on 1 July 2007] [ [http://afl.allthestats.com/records/GreatestMargins.php?ty=0&t1=7&t2=3&yrfm=1897&yrto=2007&gnd=0&inat=4 Fremantle's Greatest Winning Margins] ; Retrieved on 1 July 2007] Headland kicked 5 goals and Farmer kicked 4 goals and each set up many more for their teammates. [Duffield,M; [http://realfooty.com.au/news/rfmatchreport/wiz-spells-bad-news-for-blues/2007/06/30/1182624233662.html Wiz spells bad news for Blues] ; 1 July 2007;Retrieved on 1 July 2007]

In July 2007, police charged Farmer with criminal damage after he smashed a car's side mirror in a rage after being ejected from Burswood Casino. [ [http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22098336-11088,00.html Jeff Farmer charged by police] ] In court he pleaded guilty to the charge and was fined $750 (with $400 compensation and $58 costs). [ [http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22131863-11088,00.html Farmer fined $750] ] Despite the previous conviction which was considered his last chance at the club, [ [http://www.theage.com.au/news/Sport/Dockers-hint-at-softer-touch-with-Farmer/2007/07/24/1185043097797.html Dockers hint at softer touch with Farmer] ] Fremantle did not suspend him, but fined him $10,000 (the maximum allowed under the AFLPA rules) and requested he donate $20,000 to charity. [ [http://sportal.com.au/default.aspx/afl-news-display/farmer-fined-over-incident-32016 Farmer Fined Over Incident] ] He was recalled to play for Fremantle the following week against league leaders Geelong. [ [http://www.smh.com.au/news/Sport/Grant-no-good-for-West-Coast-clash/2007/07/26/1185339159808.html Grant no good for West Coast clash] ]

On 18 August 2007, in the third quarter of a match against St Kilda at Telstra Dome, Farmer received facial injuries from a behind the play incident and was assisted from the playing area, bleeding and suffering a concussion. The incident was not witnessed by umpires, nor by any of the TV broadcast cameras.Sheehan, Mike; [http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,22286859-23211,00.html Baker victim of poor vision] ; Fox Sports; 22 August 2007] Network Ten commentator Michael Voss stated soon afterwards that he saw what happened and added that St Kilda tagger Steven Baker would be hoping it had not been captured by TV cameras.Smith, Patrick; [http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22279099-5013459,00.html On-field hit-and-miss surveillance] ;The Australian; 21 August 2007] Farmer took no further part in the match, which St Kilda won by 30 points. Baker was later handed a 7 game suspension by the AFL tribunal, after being charged with rough conduct on Farmer. St Kilda appealed the decision, and included a letter from Farmer to the AFL pleading for leniency on Baker, describing Baker as one of his most respected opponents. The letter could not be accepted in the appeal, because it was new evidence. The appeal was rejected and the suspension remained.AAP; [http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,22298484-23211,00.html Panel rejects Farmer letter] ; 23 August 2007]

On 25 June 2008 it was announced that Farmer was suspended for a week by the Fremantle Football Club for not attending a compulsory recovery session after the weekend's loss to St Kilda in Melbourne.; [http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/06/25/2286062.htm Farmer dropped] ; 25 June 2008]

External links

* [http://fremantlefc.com.au/default.asp?pg=players&spg=playerprofile&personid=13248 Fremantle Football Club player profile]
* [http://stats.rleague.com/afl/stats/players/J/Jeff_Farmer.html AFL Statistics]

References