Umm, except we had the momentum late in both the Pies and Swans games and the maggots went above and beyond (literally in the case of Rampe’s King King impersonation) in stitching us up.
Try another theory.
This story is quite fkn amazing but not at all surprising!
All of Eddie, Tony Jones and a random passenger + Saints staffer heard the discussion… and it got swept under the carpet by the AFL.
Sacked podcast episode 2: Grant Thomas bombshell revelations on the ‘Whispers In the Sky’ AFL game
Grant Thomas speaks to his players at Subiaco
Grant Thomas says he has no doubt an AFL umpire tried to influence the dramatic 2005 “Whispers In the Sky” game, accusing the league of a cover-up despite an official investigation.
Thomas believes his continuing feud with AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou played a key part in the dramatic fallout to that contentious contest.
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Thomas had been fined for making comments about umpires the previous week during the 2005 season, then lost to Fremantle in a game where continued decisions went against them.
Umpire Matthew Head was overheard by journalist Tony Jones on the flight back that night saying, “Now I know what it feels like to have a victory”.
Coach Grant Thomas chatting with his players at Subiaco
Thomas this week told the Herald Sun’s Sacked Podcast there were a number of extraordinary comments heard by his staffer Matt “Gus” Parker on board flight QF648 as well as Jones and Eddie McGuire.
He believes an official investigation was a cover-up, with one integrity officer falling asleep in an interview with Parker.
Thomas and Demetriou had a continuing feud after falling out at a meeting early in the St Kilda coach’s tenure, resulting in one director saying: “God, Thommo, what have you done”.
Thomas said he has never had a doubt that the umpires that day took out their wrath on his side.
Whispers In The Sky, explained
Whispers In The Sky explains a series of events that unfolded late in the AFL’s 2005 season.
St Kilda coach Grant Thomas criticises the umpires after 50 free kicks were paid during St Kilda’s defeat of North Melbourne in Round 20.
He says umpires need to put “their ego in the locker”.
AFL boss Andrew Demetriou threatens AFL coaches with greater penalties for criticising umpires, and the AFL issues Thomas with a please explain.
Thomas apologises.
In the next St Kilda game, in Perth against Fremantle, the Saints lose to an after-the-siren goal. Five free kicks to Fremantle result in goals.
On the flight back to Melbourne it’s claimed an umpire is overheard saying: “Now we know what a victory feels like.”
Channel 9 reporter Tony Jones names Matthew Head as the umpire.
The AFL launches an independent investigation into the affair. It concludes there is no evidence to support any claims of impropriety.
For a full timeline and more detailed explainer of the events >> click here << .
Umpire Matthew Head read a prepared statement where he said he had nothing to hide.
Channel 9 journalist Tony Jones outside the AFL.
“Gus Parker was our board man and he had to get back home so he said, “Thommo, can I get the midnight flight back?”.
“He got upgraded so he ended up in business class in among the umpires. He couldn’t believe what he heard them say. As soon as he landed at 5am in Melbourne he was ringing me.
“He said, you wouldn’t believe what was going on, he said they have fair dinkum cheated.
“In the plane there was lots said, not (just one line). Gus Parker was asked to go in for the big inquest not to find something, which is standard AFL procedure.
“The former detective fell asleep in the interview. So Gus knew anything he said wouldn’t amount to anything.”
Newspaper pages from the whispers in the sky match
One of the AFL’s biggest conspiracy theories
Thomas said the conduct of the umpires pre-match, after he had been fined for telling the umpiring department to keep their egos in check, made clear to him they were out for blood.
“In the first quarter the cameras came onto me in the coaches box and me and (assistant) Matty Rendell were laughing our heads off. This was the week after I had been fined during the week.
Thomas has long held that the umpires were trying to influence the game
“We were in the rooms pre-game and the umpires normally chat with players and hang around for five or 10 minutes.
“This particular time they walked in in single file, walked to the end of the room and turned around and walked out.
READ MORE
>> THOMAS: TRUTH ABOUT MY ROLE IN BLIGHT’S SACKING
>> THOMAS THE DAY I TOLD DEMETRIOUS TO F*** OFF
>> UMPIRE DECISIONS THAT HAUNT SAINTS
>> TIMELINE: HOW ‘WHISPERS IN THE SKY SAGA’ UNFOLDED
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“And Matty looked at me and said, “I think we are in for a tough one”. Five minutes into the last quarter we were laughing our heads off. It was a joke. And we ended up getting beaten by a kick after the siren.
“And the umpires said what they said coming off the ground and then in the plane and Eddie (McGuire) heard it and Tony Jones heard it and that’s where Whispers In the Sky came from.”
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You know it is happening.
But it is still distressing to read about possible instances of it.
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This season, I don’t think they’re cheating, I just think they’re not up to the job. Not all their fault though. Gangsters at AFL house keep making too many rule changes.
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While we were enraged by his comments at the time, I reckon Shaun Ryan’s interview post-Anzac Day were a plaintive plea to the AFL to stop making the rules so flexible and ambiguous. Although I’d have thought some of those decisions were pretty cut and dried.
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How in the world can you possibly say that?
Please go back and look at the Anzac Day game and the Sydney game where Rampe impersonated King Kong.
How can anyone see those games and believe they were not cheating? Not only cheating, but blatantly cheating.
They know they can do any farking thing they like, and the AwFL will always cover their arses.
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Thread hasn’t aged too well. We’ve definitely been on the right end of the stick for the past few weeks.
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Yeah, they haven’t been diabolical. Given the margins of the last few wins this can’t be overstated.
OLE CHOMP CHOMP
They have been pretty damn bad, pretty much most games. Just not always against us.
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It won’t fix it but put similar umpires together and or specialise it into midfield umpire and inside 50 umpires. That may fix either consistency in a game or across the board.
You can’t blame an umpire for their individuality. You can though minimise the difference between the 3 out there.
Chamberlain was doing this on Saturday. In the first or second one of our players, I think Langford, got cannoned into. I thought it was in the back, but no free was paid.
But chamberlain then has a big chat to the Norf bloke. What about?
If he’s done something wrong, like got him in the back, pay in the back. If his conduct is rough or he’s charged Langford, report him and pay a free kick.
If you don’t pay a free kick there is absolutely no need to talk to the player.
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We got away with plenty in the north game. Couple of blatant trips (tackles slipping down)
And they were allowed to knock our blokes over after disposing the ball all night, some were ok, many were late
Swings and roundabouts
Umpiring was fine against north.
I think it’s actually been better they pay more frees than less.
Yeah a few times they pulled up play when they should have let it go
I think it actually further highlights the problem when many here can clearly see that the umps have been a positive factor in some recent close wins. I think those games would have been lost with anything like the umpiring we saw earlier in the year. Having said that you can’t really highlight anything in recent weeks that compares with all players stopping because they all know it should be a free or simply ignoring a set rule after the siren which would undoubtedly have changed the game’s result.
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They got their share. If you get the chance to watch again check out the downfield frees we should have got, plenty of in the back & two steps late hits.
They also got a goal from the most blatant holding the ball Gleeson v Goldstein early on too.
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That’s just ‘toughness’
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