Statement from the Fremantle Football Club:AS A result of discussions today with Fremantle senior coach Mark Harvey and general manager of football operations Chris Bond, Jeff Farmer has called an end to his AFL career.
"After talking to Mark and Chris today it is clear that the club is moving in a different direction and I have decided after a 14-year career to retire from the AFL," he said.
"I am grateful and feel privileged to have played for so long at the highest level of the game. I’d like to thank both the Fremantle and Melbourne football clubs for the opportunities they have given me to fulfil my childhood dream.
"Among the things I have really enjoyed throughout my career are the camaraderie of my team-mates, the guidance of my coaches and the loyalty and support of fans at Fremantle and Melbourne.
"From being a 17-year-old boy in Tambellup until today, I have known nothing else in my adult working life other than being an AFL footballer.
"It is something that I will sorely miss but having said that I'm looking forward to the next phase of my life."
Farmer said that he was leaving the club on the very best of terms.
"I will always take a great interest in Fremantle and wish everyone at the club all the very best for the future," he said.
Harvey said it was always a difficult time for a player to call an end to their career.
"Jeff has made a great contribution to the game throughout his career and has been one of those players who people come to watch at the footy," he said.
Chief executive officer Steve Rosich also praised Farmer's contribution to Fremantle and the game.
"Jeff has always played an exciting brand of football and been a favourite of members and supporters since he joined Fremantle in 2002," he said.
"The club looks forward to assisting Jeff with his transition from full-time football to the next stage of his career.
"The club respects Jeff's decision not to conduct a formal media conference to announce his decision. We will work with Jeff and his management to provide an opportunity for Fremantle members and supporters to acknowledge Jeff's career."
Farmer made a name for himself throughout his 14-year career as a dangerous goalsneak capable of executing freakishly accurate displays in front of goal.
His record of 483 career goals is the most kicked by an Indigenous player in the history of the VFL/AFL, while his tally of 224 goals for Fremantle ranks him second in the club's all-time goal-kicking records.
Farmer burst onto the AFL scene with Melbourne in 1995. He played seven games in his debut season before earning a Rising Star nomination the following year when he added a further 19 matches to his tally and was named as one of the finalists for Goal of the Year.
He booted 47 goals in 1998 as the Demons rose from the wooden spoon to a preliminary final and took out the Goal of the Year for a length-of-the-field run against Hawthorn.
He finished runner-up in Mark of the Year voting for his leap over Garry Lyon in the final round of the season and represented Australia in the inaugural International Rules series later that year.
Farmer gave the AFL world a reminder of his prodigious talent in 2006. His 55 goals were the most he had kicked in a season since coming to Fremantle at the end of 2001, and the most since his All-Australian season of 2000 when he booted 76 for the year.
His goal-kicking exploits were a big factor behind Fremantle’s rise to its first ever preliminary final in 2006.
FREMANTLE FOOTBALL CLUB
www.FremantleFC.com.au
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Last Modified on 03/09/2008 00:07