Barry Cable facts for kids

Barry Thomas Cable MBE (born 22 September 1943) is a famous former Australian rules football player and coach. He is known as one of the best rovers in the sport's history. He played in 379 top-level games in the Western Australian Football League (WAFL) and the Victorian Football League (VFL). Later, he also coached teams in both leagues. Some of his major awards were removed in 2023.

Cable was born in Narrogin, Western Australia. He started playing for the Perth Football Club in the WANFL in 1962. In 1964, he won the Sandover Medal as the best and fairest player. He also won the Tassie Medal in 1966 as the best player at the Australian National Football Carnival. That same year, he was chosen for the All-Australian team.

He helped Perth win three championships in a row from 1966 to 1968. He won the Simpson Medal as the best player in each of those Grand Finals. He also won another Sandover Medal in 1968.

After the 1969 season, Cable played for the North Melbourne Football Club in the VFL. He won their best and fairest award, the Syd Barker Medal, in 1970. He then returned to Perth for three more years, where he was a captain-coach. He won his third Sandover Medal in 1973.

Cable went back to North Melbourne for the 1974 VFL season. He helped them win two VFL championships in 1975 and 1977. After that, he returned to Perth again to captain-coach . He stopped playing at the end of the 1979 season after an accident.

In 1981, Cable became the head coach for North Melbourne in Victoria. He coached them until 1984. He also coached the Western Australia team in 1979 and was named coach of the All-Australian team.

Cable holds the record for seven best and fairest awards at Perth. His total of 379 top-level games is a record for any elite Australian rules football player born in Western Australia.

Early Life and Start in Football

Barry Cable was the youngest of eleven children. He was born in Narrogin, a country town in Western Australia. His father passed away when Barry was six years old. His mother, Dorothy, who was a Noongar woman, raised him.

Barry spent most of his childhood playing football. When he was fifteen, he started playing for his local team, the Narrogin Imperials. After working as a butcher's apprentice, Cable moved to Perth to try and play in the WAFL.

Playing Career Highlights

Cable was first turned down by because they thought he was too small. He was 168 cm tall. In 1962, he signed with . He started as a wingman.

Later in 1963, he moved to his famous position as a rover. In 1964, his first full season as a rover, Cable won his first Sandover Medal. This is the highest individual award in the WAFL.

In 1966, Cable won the Tassie Medal as the best player at the Australian National Football Carnival. He was also chosen for the All-Australian team. That same year, he helped Perth win the first of three championships in a row. He won the Simpson Medal as the best player in all three Grand Finals. He also won another Sandover Medal in 1968.

Playing for North Melbourne (1970)

Cable's first coach at Perth, Ern Henfry, told the Carlton club about him. In 1964, Carlton wanted Cable to play in Victoria. But Cable did not want to leave Western Australia.

In 1969, the secretary of North Melbourne Football Club, Ron Joseph, met with Cable. Cable then decided to play in the Victorian Football League (VFL) for North Melbourne. At that time, North Melbourne was not a strong team.

In 1970, the Kangaroos finished last. However, Cable played very well. He won the Syd Barker Medal as the club's best player. He also finished fourth in the Brownlow Medal votes. North Melbourne could not pay a large fee to keep him, so Cable returned to Western Australia.

Back to Perth (1971–1973)

Back at the Perth Football Club, Cable became the captain and coach. He led the team in 1972 and 1973. In 1973, he won his third Sandover Medal.

Return to North Melbourne (1974–1977)

While Cable was away, North Melbourne had signed a new coach, Ron Barassi. They also got other star players like Doug Wade and John Rantall. Cable decided to return to North Melbourne for the 1974 VFL season.

North Melbourne reached their first Grand Final since 1950 but lost. In 1975, the Kangaroos won their first VFL championship by beating Hawthorn. After the 1975 season, Cable thought about going back to Perth. But he decided to stay with North Melbourne for at least one more year.

Playing for East Perth

After the 1977 season, Cable returned to Perth. He accepted an offer to be the captain-coach for .

In the 1978 WAFL Grand Final, East Perth beat Cable's old club, Perth, by two points. This was East Perth's first championship since 1972. Cable played very well in the game. This was his sixth Grand Final in a row, as he had played in five with North Melbourne.

Cable played 20 games for Western Australia during his career. He also coached the Western Australia team at the 1979 State of Origin Carnival. Later, he was named coach of the All-Australian team.

Coaching Career

Cable had less success as a coach in the VFL than as a player. However, he did lead North Melbourne to the finals in two of his three full seasons as head coach in the early 1980s. In 1983, his team finished first in the regular season. But North Melbourne lost both their final matches and were out of the competition early.

In 1984, the team finished near the bottom. Cable then announced he would leave North Melbourne. He said he wanted to return to Western Australia.

From 1987 to 1989, Cable was an assistant coach for the West Coast Eagles.

Life After Football and Honours

Barry Cable has two sons with his wife, Helen: Barry Jr and Shane Cable. Both of them played in the WAFL. Shane also played one game for the West Coast Eagles in 1989.

Cable was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire in December 1978. This was for his great contributions to Australian rules football.

While playing for East Perth, Cable started farming as a hobby. In October 1979, he had a serious accident on his farm. This accident led to his retirement from playing football.

He was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1986. In 1996, he was one of the first people inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame. In 2012, he was given "Legend" status. He was also named a "Legend" in the West Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2004.

Cable started a group called the Community Development Foundation in 1999. It helps schoolchildren from areas with fewer resources. A room at Subiaco Oval, the Barry Cable Room, was named in his honour.

In 1997, Barry Cable was appointed to the Aboriginal Economic Development Council. This group helps create opportunities for Aboriginal people. Cable has also been involved in charity events, especially long-distance cycling. In 1993, he rode a bicycle across the Nullarbor Plain. In 1997, he led a ride to promote road safety.

In 2007, Cable was given a Simpson Medal for his efforts in the first State of Origin match in 1977. This brought his total number of Simpson Medals to a record five.