Born on 24th June 1977 to parents, Jeff Farmer Snr and Iris. He is a rare substance, the Wizard. A happy-go-lucky young man with a laugh-with-me humor and a come-watch-me-play brand of football. Farmer's seasons have been said to represent a rollercoster. Up and Down all the time, but theres no doubting that when he's hot he's hot!

He came to Melbourne from East Fremantle and was originally from the tiny farming community of Tambellup in country Western Australia. Tambellup consists of about 300 people in the actual township and about 750 in the whole district. There's a pub, a school, a couple of shops and a footy ground. With his parents, Jeff Farmer Snr and Iris and his sister Lexie, Farmer's younger years were spent getting an education and playing crash-bash paddock footy with his cousins. At seven he joined the town's local under-13 team. At 14, he played his first game in the senior team alongside his Dad. "Just about the whole team was family", said Jeff Farmer Snr, or Old Jeff, as he is known.

Jim "Butch" Hull, Tambellup's proclaimed "Mr Football" for almost 40 years, said Farmer was always destined for the big time. "He was always fortunate he came from a small family because it helped him develop as a person," he said. "There are two lads here at the moment who are as good as he is, but they come from very big families and I think they lack the right leadership. Old Jeff, his dad, has been a very good leader for them. He went on to say "He's a pretty good thinking fellow, Old Jeff. He doesn't smoke and he doesn't drink. I admire what he's done because we do lack leaders among those people." Hull insists Farmer was a standout as a junior. "I've seen a lot of talent go through this little town and he is the best, no question about that, and he's taken a better mark than what was taken two weeks ago. (referring to the mark which almost saw Farmer get mark of the year for) I saw him take a mark at the Railway Football Club in Albany. He sat on top of the pack at full stretch, overhead and never looked like dropping it. It is the greatest mark I have seen. The highlight of Farmer's Tambellup days was the two years he spent playing senior football with his father. Old Jeff, then aged 32, was retiring to a back pocket and Farmer was prowling the forward line. At about this time, Farmer's aggressive streak, still evident these days, began to surface. Often, Farmer would find himself in trouble and Old Jeff would run the field and dig in to help him out. "It was pretty tough playing seniors," Farmer recalled of his younger days. "The old man always looked out for me. All the older blokes looked after the young blokes. Back then I was pretty fiery, but I had to stand up for myself. I was playing against bigger, stronger, older blokes and you really had to stand up and say "You're not going to push me around just because I'm a kid". That's the way it was." Old Jeff, a 280-game legend of Tambellup, was captain at the time. "He wasn't just making up the numbers. He was an outstanding 14-year-old boy playing against men," Old Jeff said. "I was very proud. I used to look after him sometimes, but he used to look after me, too. He was very fiery. If somebody knocked him over, I'd soon be there, you know. And so would he. It's unusual, but magnificent."

Farmer's football career soon began to channel in the right directions. His reputation was built from representing the league, making the West Australian Schoolboys and then Teal Cup. At 16, he played half a game for South Fremantle. This is where Fremantle got a hold on him, but traded him to Melbourne for Phil Gilbert. Silly mistake. Up till then Farmer had no senior experience in the WAFL. It was tough living for the youngester. At 17, Farmer was a stranger in a strange land. Would he ever make the transition or would he return to WA like many talented Aboriginals before him? "I was always worried," Old Jeff recalled. "Myself as a 17-year-old, I wouldn't leave home for more than two days. Remember, you're coming from a town that's got about 50 houses, to the second biggest city in Australia. It certainly was a big shock. Jeff sort of grew up with Anglo-Saxons so it didn't really matter. He mixed in, so that didn't bother me. Just being on his own . . ."

Farmer entered the AFL in 1995 playing 7 games for the red and blue. Ex coach Neil Balme recalled in later years "I had seen Farmer take absolute control of a junior match and immediately knew he was something special".

Being a Cancerian, home will always be a big thing in Farmers life. He became extremely homesick at one stage. Farmers homesickness was helped by the arrival of the Cockatoo-Collins twins, David and Donald, from Port Adelaide, who moved in with their older brother Che. The three struck up a solid life-long friendship. Even today, the Cockatoo-Collins household in Essendon remains a drop-in centre. (Except Che has returned home to Adelaide.) Farmer being a constant visitor simply said "I like their fridge". And in any given week Byron Pickett, Michael Long, Dean Rioli and Winston Abraham will drop around. Phil Krakouer also pops his head in every now and then.

Che Cockatoo-Collins recalled his first impressions of Farmer "Most of the West Australian boys I've met are quiet. The Krakouers are. Actually he's got very similar qualities to Phil. He talks to you quietly "Hey, Che, whisper, whisper, whisper". He's at his loudest when he's laughing. He's very, very funny. And the reason why he's funny is because he tries to be funny but he's not, if you know what I mean." Che joked. "The Farmer everyone knows today is certainly a different character than he was two years ago".

So jacked off with Melbourne after the '96 season, Farmer returned to Western Australia, vowing never to return. The death of a cousin and Old Jeff's uncle troubled the young man, and other personal problems seemed overwhelming. "There's a lot of stuff that he probably doesn't want to talk about, you know, there's more to it," Old Jeff said. The Demons we're desperate to get back their future star. It took ex coach Neil Balme and then captain Garry Lyon to fly to Perth at Christmas to coax him back. They had tried to track him down beforehand by telephone but failed. "I was all over the place and I was dodging," Farmer said. Balme and Lyon finally touched base and won him over. "I found it tough thinking about whether or not I was coming back. I always wanted to come back but when Garry and Balmey came over that's when I made the decision. "I could've chucked a good opportunity away. The one thing I live by is that I don't want to be a could-have-been. I don't want to go through life saying I could have done this, I could have done that. Now I just want to make the most of what God has given me".

'97 was as good as '96 for Farmer's. He booted 30 goals from only 17 games. His confidence was sky-high. That year he also got suspended for two matches for whacking Western Bulldog Brad Wira. At the start of the year coach Neale Daniher and Corcoran laid down the law. "We've seen some anger in him, but he's like any kid," Corcoran said. "He's got an angry side, but he has learned to control himself. Some people thought they could get him in, but he's certainly got around that now." Farmer accepts he has a problem controlling the fire within, but is quick to point out it is improving. That's true to an extent. "I'm playing with more controlled aggression and not letting the opposition get under my skin," Farmer said. "With me I play on emotion. Sometimes it gets too much, where I try to carry the team and when that's not going too well I get down on myself and more or less become my own worst enemy. It's been a case of just learning along the way. That you're not going to get anywhere if you let guys get on top of you by trying to niggle you. You're always going to have guys like that so you have to live with it."

What's not lost from his game, however, is his aggression, said Old Jeff. Farmer was reported in one of his first practice matches for the club for making an insulting gesture to umpire Gavin Dore. He was fined $1500.

1998 he was a truly brilliant performer. He was crucial to the Melbourne's advance towards the finals. Later in the year came one of his most memorable moments when he soared high above a pack and took one of the truly greatest marks of all time.

In 1999 he wore the No.8 guernsey at the start of the year because at Tambellup his uncles had worn three and eight and his father had worn six. When eight came up he grabbed it out of respect to his family. A dip in form prompted him to revert to his original number 33.

In 2000 he came back better than ever and produced some electrifying performances. A dazzling nine goals in less than a half against Collingwood was just one of these. It was obvious he was a key to Melbourne's return to the finals. It was revealed a little after the finals that he had played throughout the series with a broken rib. Not only did he not miss a training session, Farmer kicked a brilliant eight goals against the Kangaroos.

The Grand Final crowd were made wary to the fact that something wasn't right when his jumper was ripped over his head during a melee and revealed a black protective vest under his jumper. Opposing teams often tried to draw him into confrontations and set his short fuse alight, but it often had the reverse effect of sparking him into action that cut teams to ribbons. At the end of the 2000 season he was added to the squad that would represent Australia in Ireland. But he was dropped after he missed a training session because he was home with his family in Western Australia. Purely understandable.

I have been following Farmer ever since his debut in 1995. I find him to be an inspirational player to other young aspiring footy players especially those with an indigenous background. He along with other indigenous players such as Michael Long, Nicky Winmar, Gavin Wanganeen and Byron Pickett just to name a few have shown that it doesn't matter what colour, race or religion you are if you want something bad enough nothing can stop you. I know many people that look up to the Wiz in more ways than one. I think that the impact he has on children today is very beneficial. The Wiz has become a household name throughout Australia over his years of playing, whether or not you support Melbourne you're bound to have heard of the Wiz. I hope that he continues to be the best person he knows how to be. I congratulate his family on producing such a fine player and person. I wish him all the best in the world with his career. He deserves this just as much if not more than every other player out there.

Player honours: All-Australian 2000
Norwich Union AFL Rising Star nominee 1996
leading goalkicker 1997 (equal), 1998, 2000
Kicked 76 goals from 23 games in 2000

Team followed as a kid... St Kilda
Match day routine... Relax and listen to music
Biggest thrill... Playing in the MCG and playing in the AFL
Biggest disappointment... Losing and injuries
Best player seen... Gary Ablett
Football heroes... Nicky Winmar, my father and Todd Viney
Sporting hero as a kid... Nicky Winmar and my father
Scariest moment in life ... Being bitten by a German Shepherd
Ultimate non-AFL fantasy... Kicking the winning goal in the World Cup final for Argentina
Dream guests at a dinner party... Tyra Banks, Mike Tyson, Michael Jordan, Mariah Carey, Jerry Rice and Vivica Fox
Football superstitions... Long-sleeve jumper and socks down
Best mates at club... Adem Yze, and the Cockatoo-Collins brothers
Favourite Movie... The Sixth Sense

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