Barry Cable

Barry Cable
Personal information
Full name	Barry Thomas Cable
Date of birth	(1943-09-22) 22 September 1943 (age 81)
Place of birth	Narrogin, Western Australia
Original team(s)	Narrogin Imperials (UGSFL)
Height	168 cm (5 ft 6 in)
Weight	70 kg (154 lb)
Position(s)	Rover
Playing career^1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
1962–1969, 1971–1973	Perth	225 (327)
1970, 1974–1977	North Melbourne	115 (133)
1978–1979	East Perth	039 0(48)[1]
Total		379 (508)
Representative team honours
Years	Team	Games (Goals)
1964–1978	Western Australia	20 (35)
1975	Victoria	1 (0)
Total		21 (35)
Coaching career^3
Years	Club	Games (W–L–D)
1972–1973	Perth	44 (19–25–0)
1978–1980	East Perth	68 (39–29–0)
1981–1984	North Melbourne	76 (40–36–0)
^1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1979. ^2 State and international statistics correct as of 1978. ^3 Coaching statistics correct as of 1984.
Career highlights
Club 2x VFL Premiership player: (1975, 1977) 4x WANFL Premiership player: (1966, 1967, 1968, 1978) 3x Sandover Medal: (1964, 1968, 1973) Syd Barker Medal: (1970) 7x Perth Best and Fairest: 1965–1969, 1971, 1973 3x Simpson Medal: 1966–1968 Perth Captain: 1972–1973 North Melbourne Team of the Century (Rover) Representative Tassie Medal: 1966 2x All-Australian team: (1966, 1969) 2x Simpson Medal: (1969, 1977) Overall Sport Australia Hall of Fame (induction rescinded in 2023) Australian Football Hall of Fame, inducted 1996, Legend status 2012 (rescinded in 2023) West Australian Football Hall of Fame – Legend Status (rescinded in 2023) Indigenous Team of the Century (Rover and Coach) Coaching National Football Carnival Championship: 1979 All-Australian team: 1979 WAFL Premiership: 1978
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Barry Thomas Cable MBE (born 22 September 1943) is a former Australian rules footballer and coach.^[2][3] Considered one of the greatest rovers in the sport's history, he played in 379 premiership games in the Western Australian Football League (WAFL) and the Victorian Football League (VFL), and later coached in both competitions. However, his reputation was left in tatters after allegations of historical sex crimes, including a code-first revocation of his Australian Football Hall of Fame status as well as his removal from the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2023.^[4][5]

Born in Narrogin, Western Australia, Cable made his debut with the Perth Football Club in the WANFL in 1962, and won the Sandover Medal as the fairest and best player in the competition in 1964. Cable was awarded the Tassie Medal as the best player at the 1966 Australian National Football Carnival, as well as selection in the All-Australian team. The same year, he played in the first of three consecutive premierships with Perth, winning the Simpson Medal as the best player in the Grand Final in each year, as well as a further Sandover Medal in 1968.

Cable left Perth at the end of the 1969 season to play for the North Melbourne Football Club in the VFL, and won the club's best and fairest award, the Syd Barker Medal, before returning to Western Australia at the end of the season. Following another three years at Perth, in which he captain-coached the club in 1972 and 1973 and won his third Sandover Medal in the latter year, Cable returned to North Melbourne for the 1974 season. In another four years at the club, he played in two premierships, in 1975 and 1977, before again returning to Perth after accepting an offer to captain-coach East Perth. Cable retired from playing at the end of the 1979 season, having injured himself in a farming accident.

Cable returned to Victoria in 1981 to become the senior coach of North Melbourne, a role which he held until 1984, and later worked as an assistant at the West Coast Eagles during their first years in the VFL. Having represented Western Australia in a total of 20 matches during his playing career, Cable also coached the team at the 1979 State of Origin Carnival, later being named coach of the All-Australian team.

His tally of seven best and fairest awards at Perth is a club record, while his career total of 379 premiership matches is a record for any elite Australian rules football player born in Western Australia as of 2022, and was also an elite Australian rules football record until broken by Kevin Bartlett in Round 20 of the 1982 VFL season.

Cable also played three pre-season/night series matches for East Perth and 21 interstate football matches (20 for Western Australia and one for Victoria), along with one pre-season/night series match for North Melbourne (these are recognised as senior by the WAFL but not the VFL/AFL). If these are included, then Cable played a total of 404 senior career games, which is also the most (equal with Brian Peake) of any elite Australian rules football player born in Western Australia.

The VFL/AFL list Cable and Peake's total as 403, excluding their VFL/AFL pre-season/night series match (Cable for North Melbourne and Peake for Geelong).

Early life

The youngest of eleven children, Cable was born in Narrogin,^{[citation needed]} a country town in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. His father, Edward, born in England,^{[citation needed]} died when Cable was six and he was raised by his indigenous mother, Dorothy a member of the Noongar people of south-west Western Australia.^{[citation needed]} Cable spent much of his childhood playing football – aged eleven, he was reprimanded by his school headmaster for devoting too much time to playing.^{[citation needed]} Cable debuted for the senior side of his local club, the Narrogin Imperials in the Upper Great Southern Football League (UGSFL), at the age of fifteen.^{[citation needed]} After spending two years as a butcher's apprentice, Cable moved to Perth to attempt to play in the Western Australian Football League (WAFL).^[6]

Playing career

After being rejected by Western Australian football powerhouse East Fremantle for being "too small" – his playing height was listed as 168 cm, or five-and-a-half feet – Cable signed with Perth in 1962.^[6] He began his career as a wingman, but late in 1963 was moved to his familiar position of rover. In his first full season there, 1964, Cable would win the first of three Sandover Medals, the highest individual honour in the WAFL. Cable was awarded the Tassie Medal as the best player at the 1966 Australian National Football Carnival, as well as selection in the All-Australian team. The same year, he played in the first of three consecutive premierships with Perth, winning the Simpson Medal as the best player in all three grand finals, as well as a further Sandover Medal in 1968.

North Melbourne (1970)

Cable's first coach at Perth was former Carlton premiership captain Ern Henfry, who alerted the Blues about the talented young rover. So in 1964, Carlton invited Cable to Melbourne and signed him on a "Form Four", which meant that for the next two seasons he was tied to Carlton if he were to play in Victoria. But Cable had no desire to move interstate, despite the repeated urging from Carlton.^[6] During the following three seasons, Perth president Cliff Houghton forbade Cable from negotiating with VFL clubs, and when on 6 July 1969 this ban was lifted and Cable spoke with Hawthorn^[7] he did not decide to move. It was not until North Melbourne secretary Ron Joseph flew over to Perth and met with Cable personally in 1969 that Cable decided to play in Victoria. In August of that year, Cable signed a form four with the North Melbourne Football Club, enabling him to transfer to the Victorian Football League (VFL). The secretary of North Melbourne, Ron Joseph, said Cable was "genuinely interested in playing League football", and wanted to "prove himself in Victorian football".^[8] At the time Cable made his initial move to Victoria, North Melbourne were a struggling team, still a few years away from becoming one of the powerhouses of the decade. 1970 was a miserable year for the Kangaroos as they finished last on the ladder, but Cable justified the hype over his reputation by winning the Syd Barker Medal and finishing fourth in the Brownlow Medal vote count. However, North Melbourne were unable to meet a clause in his contract, which required them to pay Perth $71,000 to retain Cable's services.^[6] This was a large sum, especially in the days when being a VFL footballer was not a full-time profession as it would become in later decades. As a result, Cable returned to Western Australia.^[9]

Perth Football Club (1971–1973)

Back at Perth, Cable captain-coached the Perth Football Club in 1972 and 1973 and won his third Sandover Medal in the latter year.

Return to North Melbourne (1974–1977)

During his absence, North Melbourne had managed to sign former Carlton premiership coach Ron Barassi and took advantage of the short-lived Ten-Year Rule to land the signatures of VFL stars Doug Wade, John Rantall and Barry Davis. With Keith Greig and David Dench starting to emerge as champions, Cable decided to return to North Melbourne for the 1974 VFL season. North Melbourne made it to their first Grand Final since 1950, but lost to Richmond. Finally, in 1975, the Kangaroos broke through by defeating Hawthorn to claim their first VFL premiership. At the conclusion of the 1975 season, Cable considered returning to Perth to play, after the death of his father-in-law. North Melbourne had agreed to release him from his contract, but he decided to remain with the club for at least one more season.^[10][9]

East Perth

He again returned to Perth after accepting an offer to captain-coach East Perth. He would return to Perth after 1977.^[9]

In the 1978 WAFL grand final, East Perth defeated Cable's old club, Perth, by two points, winning their first premiership since 1972. Cable, who was "at his best in the heavy conditions", was playing in his sixth consecutive grand final, having played in five at North Melbourne.^[11][12][9]

Having represented Western Australia in 20 matches during his playing career, Cable also coached the team at the 1979 State of Origin Carnival, later being named coach of the All-Australian team.^[9]

Coaching career

Cable had significantly less success in the VFL as a non-playing coach than as a player, although he did get North Melbourne into the finals in two of his three full seasons in charge as senior coach during the early 1980s.^[9] In 1983, he coached the team to be minor premiers, but North Melbourne lost both final matches to an early exit.^[9] After crashing to second-last in 1984 and only avoiding the wooden spoon on percentage, Cable announced his resignation as senior coach in Melbourne, declaring his long-term future lay in Western Australia.^[13]

From 1987 to 1989, Cable served as assistant coach with AFL club West Coast Eagles.^[9]

Life after football and honours

Cable had two sons with his wife, Helen: Barry Jr and Shane Cable, both of whom played in the WAFL for Perth and Subiaco. Shane also played a single game for the West Coast Eagles in 1989.^[14]

Cable was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire in December 1978 for "services to Australian rules football".^[15]

While playing for East Perth, Cable decided to take up farming as a hobby and purchased a rural property in Orange Grove, on the outskirts of Perth. On 25 October 1979, he was involved in a near-fatal accident on his property when he attempted to start a Massey Ferguson tractor but lost control of the vehicle, getting his right leg caught under the rear wheel, stripping one side to the bone.^[16] Cable was saved when the tractor came off the leg, continued on its path and drove up the wall, cutting off its petrol supply. Cable then had to summon all his inner strength to remain conscious while yelling for help. Fortunately for Cable, a neighbour heard his yelling and, after rushing to the scene, Cable directed his horrified rescuer to call his wife and the ambulance.^[17]

Cable was rushed to the Royal Perth Hospital for emergency treatment. In his first few days, he amazed everyone with his courage, even holding a brief press conference at the hospital the day after the accident.^[18] The first operation was a four-hour procedure in which doctors removed large amounts of foreign matter, including petrol, from the wound. Later, secondary infections set in, necessitating the use of heavy painkillers, with Cable said to be "hovering between life and death" and spending his time in a "twilight world of delirium, drugged sleep and excruciating pain".^[18] After his condition had stabilised, a series of operations was conducted in which muscle from his right hip was grafted to replace his right calf muscle, with a vein from his lower left leg being made into an artery for his right leg.^[19] At one stage, Cable was given the possibility of never walking freely again.^[20] In all, Cable would spend four months on his back at the hospital for treatment on the right leg. Amazingly, he continued on as coach of East Perth for the 1980 season whilst undergoing extensive rehabilitation.^[21]

He was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in December 1986.^[22] In 1996, he was an inaugural inductee into the Australian Football Hall of Fame, and, in June 2012, was upgraded to "Legend" status.^[23] Cable was similarly included as a "Legend" in the West Australian Football Hall of Fame's inaugural induction in 2004. Cable established a non-profit organisation, the Community Development Foundation, in 1999, aimed at assisting schoolchildren from lower socio-economic areas.^[24] A function room at Subiaco Oval, the Barry Cable Room, was named in Cable's honour.^[25] His "Legend" status as well as his standard Australian football Hall of Fame membership was revoked in 2023 by the AFL Commission as a result of his sexual assault charges.^[26]

In 1997, Hendy Cowan, the Western Australian Minister for Commerce at the time, appointed Cable to the position of the newly formed Aboriginal Economic Development Council, designed to facilitate the "development of Government policy and programs to expand economic opportunities for Aboriginal people".^[27] Cable has also been involved in a number of charity efforts involving cycling, especially long-distance cycling. In 1993, he rode a bicycle across the Nullarbor Plain to toss the coin at the 1993 AFL Grand Final,^[28] and in April 1997, he led a ride from Mandurah to Bunbury to promote a road safety campaign.^[29]

In July 2007, Cable was retrospectively awarded a Simpson Medal for his efforts in the inaugural State of Origin match in 1977, bringing his total number of Simpson Medals to a record five.^[30]

Sexual abuse claims

In 2019, a woman began legal action against Cable, alleging he sexually abused her between 1968 and 1973 when she was twelve years old and continued into her late teens. The allegations were investigated by WA Police in 1998 and referred to the Department of Public Prosecutions (DPP), but no charges were laid.^[31] Cable denied the allegations and tried unsuccessfully to have the case thrown out of court several times. Cable's identity was only revealed after a suppression order was lifted in February 2023 ahead of a trial.^[32]

Also in February 2023, a second woman came forward claiming she was sexually abused multiple times by Cable. Cable has categorically denied all the allegations.^[33] A third woman later came forward, also accusing Cable of sexually abusing her when she was a child. The woman claims that she refrained from reporting Cable to the police because "all of Australia loved him."^[34] During the trial, an additional two women testified that Cable sexually assaulted them when they were children: this takes the number of women that have accused Cable of sexual abuse to five.^[35]

In June 2023, Western Australian District Court Judge Mark Herron found that Cable had engaged in "grooming behaviour" and sexually abused the plaintiff over several years.^[36] The woman was awarded $818,700 in damages for historical sexual offences; however, it is unlikely she will ever receive this money, as Cable declared bankruptcy prior to the trial.^[37][38]

Cable was removed from the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in July 2023 in response to the court's findings, and he was subsequently removed from the Australian Football Hall of Fame and West Australian Football Hall of Fame, with his Legend status in both Halls also being rescinded. The North Melbourne Football Club also removed Cable from its Hall of Fame and stripped him of his life membership of the club, with both the Perth and East Perth Football Clubs also stripping Cable of life membership.

As of November 2023, these sexual abuse allegations against Cable were being investigated by WA Police.

On 24 May 2024, Cable was charged with five counts of indecently dealing with a girl under 13 and two counts of unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl under 13 years.^[39] It will be alleged that, during 1967 and 1968, Cable sexually assaulted a girl who was between nine and 10 years old at the time. On 30 May, 2024, he pled not guilty to this conduct.^[40]

References

1. These tallies refer to premiership matches (home-and-away and finals matches) only.
2. "AFL removes Barry Cable from Hall of Fame after 'serious and distressing' charge". Fox Sports. 27 June 2023.
3. "AFL 2023: League removes Barry Cable from Australian Football Hall of Fame". amp.theage.com.au.
4. Naglazas, Jesinta Burton, Mark (22 June 2023). "Barry Cable stripped of all honours by WA sporting bodies". WAtoday. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
5. "Hall of Fame legend Barry Cable to be kicked out, stripped of AFL's top honour over sexual abuse case". Fox Sports. 20 June 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
6. "Barry Cable was deadly by hand or foot". Herald Sun. 14 June 2012.
7. Christian, Geoff; 'President Gives Waive on Cable'; The West Australian, 7 July 1969, p. 23
8. CABLE HERE NEXT YEAR? – The Age. Published 12 August 1969. Retrieved from Google News, 14 June 2012.
9. "BARRY CABLE". Retrieved 28 January 2023.
10. Cable to play another season at North – The Age. Published 16 October 1975. Retrieved from Google News, 14 June 2012.
11. Cable a winner in sixth final – The Age. Published 25 September 1978. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
12. 1978 WANFL Grand Final: East Perth vs. Perth – Full Points Footy. Archived by the National Library of Australia's Pandora project. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
13. "North Melbourne coach resigns". The Canberra Times. Vol. 59, no. 17, 889. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 20 September 1984. p. 26. Retrieved 26 June 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
14. West Australian Football League – Aboriginal Football: The Indigenous Game. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
15. It's an Honour
16. "Surgery for Cable". The Age. 5 November 1979. p. 33.
17. Mangidis, Ricky (20 July 2016). "Barry Cable's near-death experience". North Melbourne Football Club.
18. "Cable facing uphill battle after accident". The Age. 2 November 1979. p. 3.
19. Barry on his feet – The Age. Published 9 January 1980. Retrieved from Google News, 14 June 2012.
20. Cable faces 8-hour 'rebuilding' operation – The Age. Published 8 November 1979. Retrieved from Google News, 14 June 2012.
21. Harrington, Anna (18 July 2016). "Barry Cable opens up on tractor accident on Fox Footy's Open Mike". Fox Sports.
22. Barry Cable Archived 28 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine – Hall of Fame. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
23. Cable the Legend Archived 16 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine – Australian Football League. Published 13 June 2012. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
24. Football legend visits submarine – Navy news. Published 6 March 2000. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
25. Patersons Stadium history Archived 13 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine – West Australian Football Commission. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
26. Moodie, Claire (27 June 2023). "Barry Cable removed from AFL Hall of Fame after 'horrific nature' of sexual abuse revealed in court". ABC News. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
27. Barry Cable to head advisory body on Aboriginal economic development – Ministerial Media Statement. Published 18 December 1997. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
28. Matthew Ricketson (2004). The Best Australian Profiles. Black Inc. p. 151. ISBN 978-1-86395-293-4.
29. Barry Cabel [sic] to lead cyclists into Westar Rules match in Bunbury to promote road safety – Ministerial Media Statement. Published 11 April 1997. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
30. Barry Cable awarded fifth Simpson Medal – Australian Football League. Published 5 July 2007. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
31. McNeill, Heather (7 February 2023). "AFL legend Barry Cable sued over historical child sex abuse claims". The Age. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
32. Menagh, Joanna (7 February 2023). "Australian football 'legend' Barry Cable accused of sexually abusing teenager". ABC News. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
33. "Woman accuses Australian football 'legend' of sexual abuse when she was a child". ABC News. 10 February 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
34. Bunch, Aaron (13 February 2023). "'Australia loved him': Barry Cable's third alleged sex victim gives evidence". The Age. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
35. Bunch, Aaron (14 February 2023). "Number of women accusing AFL great of child sexual abuse grows to five". The Age. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
36. "Former football star Barry Cable ordered to pay damages in civil sexual abuse case". ABC News. 16 June 2023. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
37. "Barry Cable removed from AFL Hall of Fame after 'horrific nature' of sexual abuse revealed in court". ABC News. 27 June 2023 – via www.abc.net.au.
38. "AFL legend Barry Cable sexually abused young girl, judge finds". Fox Sports. 16 June 2023.
39. "Disgraced AFL player Barry Cable charged with sexual abuse of young girl". ABC News. 24 May 2024.
40. "Barry Cable pleads not guilty to sexually assaulting young girl". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 30 May 2024.

Bibliography

• Ross, John (1999). The Australian Football Hall of Fame. Australia: HarperCollinsPublishers. p. 45. ISBN 0-7322-6426-X.

External links

• Barry Cable's playing statistics from AFL Tables
• Barry Cable's coaching statistics from AFL Tables
• Barry Cable at AustralianFootball.com
• Barry Cable's profile on kangaroos.com.au Archived 17 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine
• AFL Hall of Fame
• Barry Cable player profile page at WAFL FootyFacts