Do You Remember.........Dave Granger

I thought we could try this here as something a bit different.
Remembering some of the memorable players to grace the sanfl playing fields over the journey.
Maybe you can provide your recollections (good and bad) of these players.

To kick it off in contraversial fashion, I am sure Dave Granger (alter-ego Grave Danger) conjures up many images and not all within the spirit of our great game. But here goes...

In South Australia, known as 'Grave Danger', he was either what football needs most, or what it needs least, depending on your overall view of the game.

He shirked no challenges, took no prisoners, and was wholly content to transgress the laws of the game if he could get away with it. Often it was in the act of eliminating an opponent's contribution to the game.

During the 1981 SANFL grand final against Glenelg when he ended the career of Neville 'Twiggy' Caldwell with a premeditated king-hit.

Almost a year later, in the 1982 preliminary final, he broke Stephen Barratt's leg, and a ten week suspension after being found guilty of striking Graham Cornes. This in effect put an end to his own league football career. I am sure Studley recalls him with unsurpassed fondness.

Port Adelaide fans would claim, with considerable justification, that Granger was often on the receiving end of some pretty stern treatment himself, but seldom if ever received support from the men in white.

Aside from his apparent problems of self-control Granger was actually a fine footballer.

Granger actually commenced his football career in Victoria with St Kilda in under 19s.

He joined the Magpies in 1975, but through suspension and injury he was never really regarded as a regular. Nevertheless, he featured in both the 1977 and 1981 winning grand final teams against Glenelg, playing a key role each time in the team's eventual wins.

In 1979 he returned briefly to the Saints and played 3 VFL senior games before resuming his SANFL career with the Magpies in 1980.

A perhaps brief but, coloured career speckled with 2 premierships and a large dose of white line fever.

Let it rip..........

Yes i remember him very well...i believe he once stated after he retired that John Cahill sent him out on the field on a search and destroy mission many times...in other words he was told to take certain players out of the game...ask Twiggy Caldwell(i think that's how you spell it) from the Bays, he was king hit by Granger in a final and basically ended Caldwell's career..
He was however a very talented footballer but was hated by just about every other club supporters and sent shivers down his opponents back.

I Despise the man with a passion
Twiggy spoke about it at GFC Hall of Fame Dinner last year.
He sufferred for many years as result of the '81 GF thuggery. Medical treatment was a long time requirement. It wasn't just his sporting life that was effected. It was his home and work life as well.

I recall Chad Cornes as guest speaker at a Flagstaff Hill FC function the week Kane Cornes was photographed wearing the No 18 Prison Bars Guernsey for a Port Power Heritage game.
Virtually every question from the floor centred around how Chad felt about his brother wearing Grave Danger's guernsey? People will never forget Granger, for all the wrong reasons.
I also recall Cornsey on radio discussing how Granger told him he was disgusted at his treatment from PAFC at the end of his career, as he had only been following the Coaches instructions.

Granger played for Port Adelaide in the SANFL between 1975 and 1982. He was a strong, skilled and effective footballer, becoming famously known by the nickname, 'Grave Danger'. This was during an era of unprecedented violence in the game and Granger was often employed by his coach as an on-field hitman. Over the years he handed out and received countless injuries on the field. Although played nominally as a forward Granger was often sent into defence to harass opposition star forwards. Opposition players often found themselves fearing Granger instead of concentrating on the game, a situation Port Adelaide exploited.

In the 1977 Grand Final Granger played a pivotal role as centre half forward in Port's 8 point victory over Glenelg.

In the 1981 Grand Final, also against Glenelg, Granger ended the career of Neville 'Twiggy' Caldwell with a premeditated King hit. He continued in the game to lead Port to a 51 point victory. After the match Glenelg protested which resulted in Granger becoming the first footballer in the SANFL to be suspended on video evidence. Granger was later to claim he initially believed Caldwell had died and was "terrified" by what he had done.

In the 1982 preliminary final Port were trailing by 26 points in the second quarter against Glenelg. Port coach John Cahill sent Granger onto the field in the 21st minute of the quarter whereupon Granger was reported by a goal umpire after he King hit Graham Cornes knocking him down as soon as they matched up. Cornes recovered quickly and was awarded a free kick. Cornes was later to blatantly push Granger in the back but the umpire refused to award a free kick. In the third quarter Glenelg back pocket Stephen Barratt had his right leg broken in a "collision" with Granger and Peter Maynard received a bleeding eardrum. Although credited with only one kick and two marks, Granger reportedly had an "eerie" effect on the game with not only Glenelg players hesitant to match him for fear of missing the final but considerable abuse from the crowd.

Port eventually lost the match by 1 point. As Cahill walked down the stairs of the members' stand he was jeered by the Glenelg supporters in the crowd of 32,339 and Granger had to be escorted from the oval by police. Granger was subsequently suspended for 10 weeks which ended his own career. Granger later claimed that he was sent out to hit Cornes, Cahill however claimed there was no such order and with his career over, Granger felt betrayed by the lack of an admission by Cahill. Cornes for his part has never accepted any apology for the incident, still remembers it bitterly and feels there was no doubt Granger was sent out to target him by the coaching staff.


During 1979, David Granger played 3 games for St Kilda in the Victorian Football League, kicking 1 goal.


After retiring from Port Adelaide, Granger moved to Port Pirie to play for Solomontown in the Spencer Gulf Football League. His first game drew a record attendance.

In December 2007 Granger was interviewed for the Today Tonight program "SA's (20) greatest sporting controversies" where his career was listed at number seven. He claimed he was often ordered to take players out, explaining "I was a good soldier. I did what I was told.....the culture of Football at the time was to win at all costs". He insists that the Barratt incident was one of the few times an injury he caused really was an accident. Granger also recounted how his "exile" by Port Adelaide after his retirement caused depression and eventually led to an incident where he broke into the Port Adelaide locker room and attempted suicide by his old locker. The programs compere Graham Cornes who was on the receiving end of Granger's playing style in 1982 finished the segment by saying he had forgiven him, commenting, "That's Football".


Granger had struggled off field for a number of years and it was revealed in his court appearances that he battles depression. On 26 December 2001, Granger informed the media that his house would be repossessed by St George Bank who had lodged documents to this effect with the Supreme Court. He had borrowed $A93,000 in 1991 to buy the then-$A150,000 house.

Despite support from former Port Adelaide legend Russell Ebert,[citation needed] in 2003 Granger was finally sentenced to jail after being found guilty of knowingly having cannabis in his possession for the purpose of selling it after 17 kg of cannabis had been found by police in his home. He was sentenced to four years and three months imprisonment. Granger had three previous convictions for cannabis offences in 1991, 1998 and 2002. [1]

For those who are too young to remember him...here is the big hit on Cornes, mind you, Cornse did get up straight away.

yeah no doubt a very "emotional" subject.........i dont question for one second that he was "sent out to cause trouble" im sure he was instructed in some cases told to "go the biff".....but in saying that times where very different and footy was a bloody tough game thats not to say things have changed but there is no doubt that if a player behaved like he did nowadays he wouldnt last 5 minutes.......

As a player Granger was exceptional and on his day was capable of anything, he was a match winner and could destroy the defence of most teams and to some degree that ability has been over-shadowed by his on field discretions........

As a port fan i loved him!!....he was the "Enforcer"...the bloke you wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat having nightmares about lining up against him the following day......he was from another era and way of thinking........in saying that if i didnt follow Port i would have hated him....but like him or loath him here we are nearly 30 years after he last pulled on the Prison Bar Guernsey and we are still talking about him.

Legend .....hmmmm..maybe, controversial always!!...

I wonder what the relationship is between Cahill and Cornes?
I have never actually seen them engaged in debate or conversation over the years.

This despite both being the highest profile SA coaches going around in the 90s.

Cornes may have forgiven Granger, but I just wonder if you engaged him in quiet debate away from cameras and microphones what he would say about Cahill.

Digressing this a bit slightly, did Granger ever directly come up against that other 'enforcer', John Wynne?

Speaking of enforcers, in order of "enforcement" priority how would you rate these;
- Granger
- Wynne
- Wayne Phillis
- Neil Balme

burgerking wrote:Legend .....hmmmm..maybe, controversial always!!...

I did steer clear of using that term FB.
That probably evoke more irritation than the subject does already.

Chambo Off To Work We Go wrote:I wonder what the relationship is between Cahill and Cornes?
I have never actually seen them engaged in debate or conversation over the years.

This despite both being the highest profile SA coaches going around in the 90s.

Cornes may have forgiven Granger, but I just wonder if you engaged him in quiet debate away from cameras and microphones what he would say about Cahill.

Digressing this a bit slightly, did Granger ever directly come up against that other 'enforcer', John Wynne?

Speaking of enforcers, in order of "enforcement" priority how would you rate these;
- Granger
- Wynne
- Wayne Phillis
- Neil Balme

interesting point Chambo....the names listed where not a lot different to Granger probably just way smarter how they went about their business.......as subtlety wasnt one of Grangers strong points...

Chambo Off To Work We Go wrote:I wonder what the relationship is between Cahill and Cornes?
I have never actually seen them engaged in debate or conversation over the years.

This despite both being the highest profile SA coaches going around in the 90s.

Cornes may have forgiven Granger, but I just wonder if you engaged him in quiet debate away from cameras and microphones what he would say about Cahill.

Digressing this a bit slightly, did Granger ever directly come up against that other 'enforcer', John Wynne?

Speaking of enforcers, in order of "enforcement" priority how would you rate these;
- Granger
- Wynne
- Wayne Phillis
- Neil Balme

You can toss in Ray Hayes from West in that mix. He was as hard and tough as anyone, probably just behind Granger and Balme.

Yes I remember him too. Wouldn't have liked to stand him either.
Maybe we can make him the subject of another "Do you remember"

He was a mate of a mate of mine.
He played footy with him somewhere in the Port zone I think, not at West.

Do you recall Hayes' career path either leading up to Westies or after he finished there?

From what i remember Chambo, Ray Hayes came over to West from Port Adelaide amongst quite a few other Port players that followed Fos Williams who came to coach West back in the mid 70's. Others that followed were Kevin Beswick, Trever Grimwood (who went on to win a Magarey medal ) and a player named Boston (can't remember his first name) anyway, Ray Hayes was a bit of a thug when at Port and continued to be one at West for quite a few years, I think Oldfella can fill us in on the length of time he was with West. There was a lot of love hate relationship between West and Port with those defections after that i can assure you.
But from reports, Hayes was a gentleman off the field, i think he was a auto mechanic by trade and he's been coaching up in the mid North or the Wallaroo area (not sure).
And recently coached a team to a winning grand final, again i'm not sure what team and area that was in.
Ray Hayes during his years at West....

would have been an interesting match up Hayes on Granger....hahaha!!

Bob Boston, FB and I think he is still coaching a country club somewhere.

In regards to Dave Granger, I was at that match all those years ago where he decked Graham cornes as a neutral supporter. The vision says it all, I was stunned that someone could be such a coward as to hit another player in the head from behind, I hate seeing that sort of thing and I don't care what era it was. After that happened I became a Glenelg supporter for the rest of the day, but only for the rest of that day.

burgerking wrote:would have been an interesting match up Hayes on Granger....hahaha!!

B/K...I can remember a game at Football park when West played Port, Hayes had Bomber Clifford (Port) by the throat and lifted him off the ground during a scuffle, a lot of the Port crowd screamed out to send Granger down to sort Hayes out who was at the time at the other end of the ground, it didn't eventuate but it would have been interesting if he did. Haye's certainly was a tough man not to be messed with. Perhaps Granger was too busy boofing some one else at the time.

hahaha!!!...used to love Bomber Clifford he was an antagonist little bugger!!....once again a fine footballer on his day, interesting story about him, i was in cairns on holidays about 10 - 12yrs ago and who's on the back page on the local paper (cairns post) Bomber Clifford!!..he was coaching up there and from what i remember doing a pretty good job!!...

i reckons Hayes would have taken Granger...Hayes was one very mean Mother!!..where as Granger was just crazy!!

Most of Granger's acts were pre-meditated actions, "allegedly" following instructions.
Whether Granger was ever involved in an ol' fashioned toe to toe, I can't recall. Certainly never got much airplay if he did.

Whereas Hayes, I think was much more spontaneous and his 'enforcing' more in direct play.

That is my recollection comparing the two.

Whereas, Wynne was a bit of both.

Cornes' interviewed Cahill many times on radio between 1995 and 1999 and their relationship seemed fine. Cornesy also said many times that when he coached Adelaide, Cahill was the best SANFL coach in helping Adelaide out re players that went back and forth etc...Neil Craig and Mick Nunan on the other hand....

Also Cahill did deny he ever sent Granger out to be a 'hit-man'.