JEFF Farmer says Melbourne greats Garry Lyon and David Neitz were the greatest players he played with in his time at the club. 

Farmer said Lyon was the “father figure” of the football club and Neitz was the “big brother” who looked after him on and off the field.

“Garry Lyon, I got to see just the peak of how much of a champion he was,” he told Dee TV.

“Unfortunately, his career finished due to a back injury, but on and off the field he was an absolute champion. He was a wonderful gentleman that had all the time in the world for you or for anyone.

“He looked after me and being the main man in the forward line as well, he took a particular interest in making sure I coped with being away from home, but also supportive of me trying to carve out a football career.” 

Farmer said Neitz needed to be recognised in next year’s Australian Football Hall of Fame.

“He was a wonderful leader and true champion of the football club and he deserves all the accolades that he gets,” he said.

“He’s got to be at least the next one to be put through, because he’s a champion and a wonderful player for the football club.”

Farmer said his stunning mark over Lyon against Richmond in round 22, 1998 was simply “one of those moments where it was set up nicely”.

“I was fortunate enough to be able to get a good ride and most importantly take the mark,” he said.

As for how he earned his nickname, ‘Wizard’, Farmer said it all started by Melbourne recruiter Bernie Dunn and later picked up by club great Garry Lyon.

“Bernie Dunn, a WA recruiting guy, came to watch either Darren or Damien Gaspar, who played at the same WA football club, South Fremantle,” he said.

“I came up on a permit and played a Colts game and I was fortunate enough to do all right and the report that I heard back from Bernie Dunn was ‘this guy is all over the field and he’s popping up here and popping up there and he’s like a Wizard’.

“I ended up coming over [to Melbourne] and there was an article about me being picked up by Melbourne and coming across [from Western Australia].

“Garry Lyon caught wind of this nickname called the ‘Wizard’ and he started calling me it at training and I didn’t know what he was going on about. Basically, it caught on and the rest of the guys started calling [me] it. That became my nickname.”

Farmer acknowledged he tried to be an entertainer as well as a footballer.

“A lot of the times when I did my exciting thing was on the back of getting the crowd up and going, and creating the noise and getting the adrenaline pumping.”

“That was one of the great things about being able to play – the interaction with the crowd, so I’ve had some wonderful moments over my time.”