David Granger Articles

[Magpiespower]

Here you go Hawker, courtesy of spelly, Pseudo, FootySA, The Tiser and Rooch...

The Granger Affair; Sinbinned to lonely life in cold
Michelangelo Rucci

DAVID Granger is now 43, living on a disability pension because of a damaged back and still shunning attention despite being the most sought-after former SANFL footballer for the media's "Where are they now?'' segments.

"For years no one wanted to know me,'' says Granger. "I was always here, but no one wanted to know me. Now everyone wants to know me for only one reason - what happened that day.

"I've been a recluse for 16 years. It's going to stay that way.

"I'm going to tell the story once. It has to be told. The Port Adelaide supporters deserve to know what happened. But after this I'm not saying anymore.''

Granger was tainted forever after the 1982 preliminary final. The moment haunted him out of football. It follows him today. He believes the "Grave Danger'' tag has robbed him of fulfilment in football.

"The way I played brought people to football. It made clubs and a league fill their bank accounts. And I have nothing for it,'' says Granger. "There's not even a seat for me at Football Park where I sent those turnstiles spinning quicker than any other footballer at the time.

"No-one in positions of power at Port Adelaide wants to know me. The supporters did and probably still do. They are the only ones who are loyal.''

Granger asked for no money to reveal his story. And he refused to be photographed.

"If there is anything to be made from all this I want it to go to the Crippled Children's Association. If some kid can get a wheelchair from this, then some good has come from it,'' he says.

Granger has seen little good emanate from his hour of infamy. It denied him his football dream of playing 200 games, becoming a life member at Port Adelaide and coaching junior teams. His league career stopped at 107 games with his seven-season stint with the Magpies interrupted in 1979 with three games at St Kilda.

As the 1982 preliminary final was being played, West Perth general manager Graham Pleydell slipped out of Adelaide refusing to discuss further the offer he had put before the powerful centre half-forward to move to WA.

Granger went instead to bush footy, playing at Port Pirie. But even there he found his reputation had preceded him and "umpires wanted to report me''.

He stayed for 18 months then returned to his Victorian roots at Bacchus Marsh where he kicked 66.32 in six games before being reported in a final - "for cleaning up a young kid coming through the corridor, just as they taught me at St Kilda,'' says Granger. He was banned for nine games and never played again.

Granger says he hated country football.

"I was in my prime. I should have been playing league football, but I was up against guys who didn't have the ability,'' said Granger.

He admits his dissatisfaction prompted him to drink and play with hangovers. But he has not touched any alcohol now for 10 years. His marriage ended too. He now enjoys a stable, long-standing relationship with his girlfriend.

Granger has endured public attention this year for growing marijuana at his Woodville home.

"I had so much to look forward to,'' says Granger. "Now I live here in recluse. It's not been easy to live with what I did that day (in the preliminary final). But I've answered for that over the years. Now I just want to get this off my mind - and get on with my life.''

[Magpiespower]

REFLECTIONS ON A CAREER AND LIFE GONE WRONG
Andrew Capel

DAVID Granger terrorised Glenelg in the 1982 SANFL preliminary final, throwing his arms and legs at opponents as if there was no tomorrow.

Yesterday, the former toughman broke down and cried as he publicly recalled that fateful September 26 day that prematurely ended his Port Adelaide and league football career.

Looking a poor reflection of the imposing man who frightened opponents and earnt him the "Grave Danger'' tag, Granger visibly shook as he conducted his first radio interview for nearly 20 years on Radio 5AA.

Four times during the 40-minute interview he had to stop momentarily, wipe tears from his eyes and regain his composure as he fielded questions from Graham Cornes and Ken Cunningham.

However, he refused to let Cornes, the man he sent sprawling to the Football Park turf with a powerful left-arm blow to the head during the infamous '82 final, throw to a commercial break.

"I've got a lot on my chest and I want to talk about it,'' he explained.

With his former Magpies premiership captain Russell Ebert offering support, Granger's mouth quivered as he reflected on a career and life that went horribly wrong.

He told how he was sacked by Port after his nine-game suspension for striking Cornes despite being told he "would be looked after''.

"They (Port) betrayed me. I wanted to play 300 games. I wanted to be there forever,'' he said. "It was the only thing I knew. I loved playing football. But all I got was the cold shoulder.''

The '82 final was Granger's last league game. The match scarred him for life. He has had run-ins with the law, is broke and now lives on a disability pension because of a damaged back.

And he claims it was largely due to being told to singlehandedly change the face of that game.

"The instructions I got (at half-time) were that there was only one way out of the game and that was that I take players out deliberately take them out,'' recalled Granger.

"I told Jack (then Port coach John Cahill) I was going to go down the gurgler over this one but he said forget about that, forget about it all, you'll be looked after.

"I idolised the man and didn't want to do what I did but I didn't feel like I had a choice . . . and I paid the price.''

Granger admits he deserved his reputation as a "vicious'' player.

"If you're truthful about it it must be the easy way out but it's a bloody tough road to go down I can tell you,'' he said.

"I wouldn't advise any kid to take it upon himself to start whacking and smacking and carrying on because it's not the way to go.''

Granger said while he had "sometimes'' been told to intimidate the opposition, on other occasions he "took it upon myself to remove a person who was just doing too good on the day''.

Sadly, after all these years he still has no regrets for his roughhouse tactics that left opponents bloodied and the football fraternity angry.

"No, I don't regret it,'' he said.

"We had to win. Winning was everything to us and we had to take whatever road or whatever track to win.

"Other players around me knew that was the way I felt and that nothing would hold me back from doing anything.

"It's not an heroic thing to be able to flatten a bloke but you get used to it after a while. It gets pretty easy. You only have to bang them on the chin and hit them in the right spot and they'll go down in a screaming heap every time.''

[Adelaide Hawk]

Thanks for that Magpies-power, I didn't realise he had been interview on 5AA. Very compelling reading, and I guess as a non-Port Adelaide supporter the story is quite credible.

If you heard the interview, did he say if he had considered playing for another club? That would have been interesting, considering his disappointment with the lack of support.

When Granger was around, footy was never boring.

[heater31]

"The instructions I got (at half-time) were that there was only one way out of the game and that was that I take players out deliberately take them out,'' recalled Granger.

"I told Jack (then Port coach John Cahill) I was going to go down the gurgler over this one but he said forget about that, forget about it all, you'll be looked after.

"I idolised the man and didn't want to do what I did but I didn't feel like I had a choice . . . and I paid the price.''

My opinion of Jack Cahill has changed forever and my Grandfather would turn in his grave after reading this

[Magpiespower]

If you heard the interview, did he say if he had considered playing for another club? That would have been interesting, considering his disappointment with the lack of support.

Didn't hear the 5AA interview.

However, after the '82 Prelim, I doubt if Granger could have played in the SANFL again.

Would have well and truly been a marked man - by opposition players, umpires, media - even more than before, which is saying something.

Interestingly, he wasn't sacked by the club until early '83.