Barry Cable facts for kids

Barry Thomas Cable MBE (born 22 September 1943) is a famous former Australian rules football player and coach. Many people consider him 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. In 2023, his status in the Australian Football Hall of Fame and the Sport Australia Hall of Fame was removed.

Barry 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, which is given to the best and fairest player in the competition. In 1966, Cable received the Tassie Medal as the best player at the 1966 Australian National Football Carnival. He was also chosen for the All-Australian team that year.

In the same year, he helped Perth win the first of three premierships in a row. He won the Simpson Medal as the best player in the Grand Final each of those years. He also won another Sandover Medal in 1968.

Cable left Perth after the 1969 season to play for the North Melbourne Football Club in the VFL. He won the club's best and fairest award, the Syd Barker Medal, before returning to Western Australia. He played three more years at Perth, where he was a captain-coach in 1972 and 1973. In 1973, he won his third Sandover Medal.

Cable went back to North Melbourne for the 1974 season. Over four more years with the club, he helped them win two premierships, in 1975 and 1977. After this, he returned to Perth again to captain-coach . Cable stopped playing at the end of the 1979 season after a farming accident.

In 1981, Cable returned to Victoria to become the head coach of North Melbourne. He coached there until 1984. Later, he worked as an assistant coach for the West Coast Eagles when they first joined the VFL. During his playing career, Cable played 20 matches for Western Australia. He also coached the team at the 1979 State of Origin Carnival and was later named coach of the All-Australian team.

Cable holds a club record with 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 as of 2022. This record was the highest in elite Australian rules football until Kevin Bartlett broke it in 1982.

Cable also played three pre-season/night series matches for East Perth and 21 interstate games. These included 20 for Western Australia and one for Victoria. He also played one pre-season/night series match for North Melbourne. If these games are included, Cable played a total of 404 senior career games. This is tied with Brian Peake for the most by any elite Australian rules football player born in Western Australia.

The VFL/AFL lists Cable and Peake's total as 403 games. This count does not include their VFL/AFL pre-season/night series matches.

Early Life and Football Beginnings

Barry Cable was the youngest of eleven children. He was born in Narrogin, a country town in the Wheatbelt area of Western Australia. His father, Edward, was from England. He passed away when Barry was six years old. Barry was then raised by his mother, Dorothy, who was a member of the Noongar people.

Cable spent a lot of his childhood playing football. When he was eleven, his school headmaster told him off for spending too much time playing. At fifteen, Cable made his debut for the senior team of his local club, the Narrogin Imperials. This team played in the Upper Great Southern Football League (UGSFL). After working as a butcher's apprentice for two years, Cable moved to Perth. He wanted to try and play in the Western Australian Football League (WAFL).

Playing Career Highlights

Barry Cable was turned down by the strong Western Australian football club . They thought he was "too small" because his playing height was 168 cm. In 1962, Cable signed with . He started his career as a wingman. But late in 1963, he moved to his well-known position of rover.

In his first full season as a rover, 1964, Cable won his first of three Sandover Medals. This is the highest individual award in the WAFL. Cable also won the Tassie Medal in 1966 as the best player at the 1966 Australian National Football Carnival. He was also selected for the All-Australian team. That same year, he helped Perth win the first of three premierships 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)

Barry Cable's first coach at Perth was Ern Henfry. Henfry was a former premiership captain for Carlton. He told the Blues about the talented young rover. So, in 1964, Carlton invited Cable to Melbourne and signed him. This meant he was tied to Carlton if he played in Victoria for the next two seasons. But Cable did not want to move interstate, even though Carlton kept asking him.

For the next three seasons, Perth president Cliff Houghton stopped Cable from talking to VFL clubs. This ban was lifted on 6 July 1969, and Cable spoke with Hawthorn, but he did not decide to move. Finally, in 1969, North Melbourne secretary Ron Joseph flew to Perth and met Cable in person. After this meeting, Cable decided to play in Victoria. In August of that year, Cable signed a form with the North Melbourne Football Club. This allowed him to move to the Victorian Football League (VFL).

Ron Joseph, the secretary of North Melbourne, said Cable was "truly interested in playing League football." He wanted to "prove himself in Victorian football." When Cable first moved to Victoria, North Melbourne was a struggling team. They were still a few years away from becoming one of the best teams of the decade. 1970 was a tough year for the Kangaroos, as they finished last. However, Cable showed why he was so highly regarded. He won the Syd Barker Medal and finished fourth in the Brownlow Medal vote count.

North Melbourne could not meet a part of his contract. They needed to pay Perth $71,000 to keep Cable. This was a very large amount of money. In those days, being a VFL footballer was not a full-time job like it is now. Because of this, Cable returned to Western Australia.

Return to Perth (1971–1973)

Back at Perth, Cable became the captain-coach of the Perth Football Club. He held this role in 1972 and 1973. In 1973, he won his third Sandover Medal.

Second Time at North Melbourne (1974–1977)

While Cable was away, North Melbourne had signed Ron Barassi, a former premiership coach from Carlton. They also used a special rule to get VFL stars like Doug Wade, John Rantall, and Barry Davis. With Keith Greig and David Dench becoming champions, Cable decided to return to North Melbourne for the 1974 VFL season.

North Melbourne reached their first Grand Final since 1950, but they lost to Richmond. Finally, in 1975, the Kangaroos won their first VFL premiership by defeating Hawthorn. At the end of the 1975 season, Cable thought about going back to Perth to play. This was after his father-in-law passed away. North Melbourne agreed to let him out of his contract, but he decided to stay with the club for at least one more season.

Playing for East Perth (1978–1979)

After the 1977 season, Barry 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 premiership since 1972. Cable played very well in the wet conditions. This was his sixth Grand Final in a row, as he had played in five with North Melbourne.

During his playing career, Cable represented Western Australia in 20 matches. 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

Barry Cable had less success as a non-playing coach in the VFL than he did 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, he coached the team to be minor premiers, meaning they finished first on the ladder before the finals. But North Melbourne lost both of their final matches and were eliminated early.

After the team dropped to second-last in 1984, only avoiding the last place spot by a small margin, Cable announced he was stepping down as head coach in Melbourne. He stated that his long-term plans were in Western Australia. From 1987 to 1989, Cable worked as an assistant coach for the AFL club West Coast Eagles.

Life After Football and Achievements

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

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

While playing for East Perth, Cable started farming as a hobby. He bought a property in Orange Grove, near Perth. On 25 October 1979, he had a serious accident on his farm. He was trying to start a tractor but lost control. His right leg got caught under the back wheel, causing a severe injury. Cable was saved when the tractor came off his leg and hit a wall, cutting off its fuel. He had to stay conscious and yell for help. Luckily, a neighbor heard him and called for help.

Cable was rushed to the Royal Perth Hospital for emergency treatment. In the first few days, his bravery amazed everyone. He even held a short press conference at the hospital the day after the accident. His first operation lasted four hours. Doctors removed a lot of dirt and fuel from the wound. Later, he got infections, which meant he needed strong painkillers. At one point, he was very ill. After his condition improved, he had more operations. Muscle from his right hip was used to replace his right calf muscle. A vein from his lower left leg was made into an artery for his right leg. At one point, doctors thought he might never walk properly again.

Cable spent four months in the hospital recovering from his leg injury. Amazingly, he continued to coach East Perth for the 1980 season while going through a lot of rehabilitation.

He was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in December 1986. In 1996, he was one of the first people inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame. In June 2012, his status was upgraded to "Legend." Cable was also named a "Legend" in the West Australian Football Hall of Fame when it first started in 2004. In 2023, his "Legend" status and his membership in the Australian Football Hall of Fame were removed.

In 1999, Cable started a non-profit group called the Community Development Foundation. This group aimed to help schoolchildren from areas with less money. A function room at Subiaco Oval, called the Barry Cable Room, was named in his honor.

In 1997, Hendy Cowan, who was the Western Australian Minister for Commerce, appointed Cable to a new group. This group was called the Aboriginal Economic Development Council. Its goal was to help create government plans and programs to increase economic chances for Aboriginal people. Cable has also been involved in many charity events that involve cycling, especially long-distance rides. In 1993, he rode a bicycle across the Nullarbor Plain to toss the coin at the 1993 AFL Grand Final. In April 1997, he led a ride from Mandurah to Bunbury to promote a road safety campaign.

In July 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.