It is my opinion, and I know that I share it with thousands of Freo supporters, that the club make it a priority to re-sign Jeff Farmer for the 2009 season.

Many of the teams treasured veterans have retired over the course of the season and the media keep banging on about youth and enthusiasm. For some reason the opinions of these peanuts are given credibility and the apologetic look for simple playing experience among the senior players has been disheartening this season (to say the least). Losing Matt Carr was bad enough, but Belly and now (or so it appears) Black have also tossed in the towel – it is going from bad to worse.

There are treasures amongst our side – there have many been in the past and there are many at present. I won’t go into naming them – as we all know who they are – but, in my view there are none bigger than the Purple Jesus.

Jeff is unique – he is iconographic of the proud history of brilliant Indigenous footballers who hail from this state. His football exploits have become highlight treasures of all who love the game – his ability to turn a game in a second, to procure the unbelievable, to find a strategic avenue through a clustered defense that appears impenetrable have made him the idol of those young Indigenous footballers who now proudly wear his number in teams across this country (Rioli, Campbell, Dick, Hooper, etc). The upcoming draft will see some of the best young Aboriginal talent from this state in years become available for selection (Jetta, Yarran, Walters, etc.) which will need a mentor to evolve into quality footballers – hopefully Jeff can do this for the Dockers.

Yes, the Purple Jesus is something of an enigma – he is also idiosyncratic which, in the past, has required him to accept responsibility and shoulder the burden of punishment (which has become the focus of many debates amongst the faithful). There is no need to go into those things here – it is a time to reflect the importance of this man to the club that we all support.

As a nation our government offered a form of apology earlier this year as well as a promise to our Indigenous population that the future will not repeat the mistakes of the past. The Fremantle Football Club has an enviable history of providing an avenue for the best Indigenous talent to contribute and add to the future of our game. I hope that the club retains that sense of responsibility in the coming years.

This is my plea to the Fremantle Football Club to retain the services of Jeff Farmer for the 2009 year – at any cost. Do not dismiss him nor underestimate the level of support he has amongst the membership. He is an indispensable national treasure that needs to be on the field of play and dressed in purple.

I disagree.

Farmer needs to do something special in the last few games to earn a spot next year. Sure, he can be amazing but we haven't seen much of it at all this year. Unless he gets more hungry for the ball and does some usefull/great things, I think we are better of letting him go and getting a new hungry small forward to take his place.

I think you left out the South bit at the start of Fremantle pollyanna. Sadly, the Purple Jesus' time in AFL is at an end.

It's a sad, bitter person who wants to get at the top of the queue to bury Jeff Farmer.

I'm with you shane, great defensive pressure and goal assists with the option to move him up the ground. Gotta stay!

I like Jeff, but I'm not sentimental about him. From what I've seen of Jeff Farmer this year has convinced me that the club should re-sign him, but no longer than a one-year contract. Build incentives into the contract (goals, goal assists, tackles) as well as the usual "good citizen" clauses (team meetings, eat-all-your-veggies) by all means. While his goal output may be inconsistent from week to week, what I do see is an intense defensive pressure that is second to none in the league week-in week-out. Him and Mayne keep up the defensive pressure more than anyone else in our team. As long as he can keep this up, it hampers the opposition from clearing the ball out.

BTW, there is no other player in the league more heavily scrutinised than Jeff Farmer by the umps. This means he has to be completely on the ball when it comes to giving away free kicks, penalties, etc. It is absolutely diabolical how he is not given any leeway whatsoever, leeway that is afforded to numerous other players in the league.

why is the word defence ever mentioned in the same sentence with jeffery?

with "he tore the eagles defence a new hole" the exception that makes it a rule.

Sad? Bitter? Well then Shane, I would like to take my spot at the front of the queue.

Keep him on the payroll by all means but failing some on field brilliance in the remaining games maybe his job is no longer in the first 22.

You don't just cut this type of player because he is 30 years of age; he is irreplacable so the conventional rules around list management simply don't apply.

You cut him if he has lost what's makes him so special. Does he still have the speed, lightning recovery time and goal sense that makes him so unique? I have not seen any of this taper off, at all.

Give him another year, and at the end of that year ask the above questions. And then give him another year after that.

South Freo legend!

You get my support, PollyAnna. He may not have a stack of goals to his name, but by cracky they'd miss him if he weren't there. Hard running, hard working, and, especially, hard tackling in the front line where it counts. Few forwards attack the defenders with the ferocity that Jeff does. And the assists of the New Jeff are as sensational as the goals of the Old Jeff.

IMHO still has a place as an inspiration for the up-and-comers. One year at a time seems to be the go in the twilight.

Not many small forwards can spend their declining years in the midfield.

Got to keep him on the list, who else do we have to replace an in form Jeff Farmer, there`s nobody he is keeping out of the side. If we draft Yarran or Walters (small forwards?) he`ll be expected to mentor them. If we draft Ballantyne Pav will have to look out for him.

i would love to see a few players have "tackles" in their performance bonus. i would pay to see that. mayhem of the highest order.

"Jeff will sign the contract in a moment, Mark. He's just having a hot shower."

Keep Farmer, lose the negative supporters. In my opinion they have done nothing and don't deserver another year. There are younger, more positive supporters who can take their place, and probably deserve their spot more.

How many spiritual Leaders do we have at the moment?

Never have too many of them floating around the place.

Jeff needs to put in a few good games before the year is up to warrant another contract. Even his defensive pressure has dropped off in the last couple of weeks. He almost looked disinterested against the Demons which is most unlike him.
If he does get another contract there should be a large onfield and off field component built in.
I think Harv's will have a big clean out and 12 or so players will go. Farmer is likely to be one of them.

Be good to keep him on and see what happens. He can still win a game off his own boot. There's a lot of blokes we can lose this year before Jeff.

I agree with polly in principle, The Wiz should be re-signed on a performance based contract for next year,wouldn't cost the club a heap and would keep The Wiz on his toes. This year i've been impressed by his off field behaviour but his on field wizardry has been below par,has he lost his mojo ???