David Granger (footballer)

David Granger commenced his football career in Victoria where he played trial games with St Kilda.

Granger played for Port Adelaide Football Club in the SANFL between 1975 and 1982. He was a strong, skilled and effective footballer, becoming famously known by his spoonerism nickname, 'Grave Danger'. This was during an era of unprecedented violence in the game and Granger was often employed as an on-field hitman. Over the years he handed out and received countless injuries on the field. Although he 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. As there is no send-off rule in Australian Rules football, Granger 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 (which Granger claims was an accident, though he wasn't sorry that Barratt broke his leg) 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.[1]

Port eventually lost the match by one 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 8 weeks for the Cornes incident and another two for his collision with Barratt which ended his own career. While Granger later claimed that he was sent out to hit Cornes, John Cahill 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 (though he has forgiven him), still remembers it bitterly and feels there was no doubt Granger was sent out to target him by the coaching staff.

During 1979, 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 maintains that he was going for the ball when Barratt collided with him. He 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 at Alberton Oval and attempted suicide by his old locker. The program's co-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".[2]