Another past issue brought up again- Whispers in the Sky

[python]

this club seems to cling to its past controversies more than others doesnt it?

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/ ... 42,00.html

A KEY witness has gone public to put the thunder back into the infamous "Whispers in the Sky" affair. Former St Kilda staffer Mark Parker yesterday supported claims that umpire Matthew Head made an inappropriate comment. Parker also strongly criticised the investigation that followed.

Parker said he was stunned by the attitude of AFL investigations officers Allan Roberts and Bill Kneebone when they questioned him in the days after the incident.

"They talked to me for about 10 or 15 minutes and then decided to take some notes down," Parker said.

The controversy erupted soon after St Kilda lost to Fremantle in Perth in August 2005.

Channel 9 reporter Tony Jones alleged Head said, "Now I know what it feels like to have a victory" after Fremantle won with a kick after the siren.

Parker, well known in the AFL community as "Gus", told the Herald Sun yesterday: "I heard the comment. 100 per cent. Clear as day.

"I am pretty sure it was umpire Head who said it because he walked past my shoulder and then the conversation continued two rows behind me (in the aeroplane on the way back to Melbourne)," Parker said.

"Tony Jones was hung out to dry."

Jones said last night: "I have never had a restless night's sleep after coming out with it. I knew I was right."

But the AFL last night launched a strong defence of the investigation process, which exonerated umpires Head and Brett Allen of making inappropriate comments.

"The matter's closed. It is over and dealt with," AFL spokesman Patrick Keane said.

At the time, Parker was a match-day assistant at St Kilda, working closely with coach Grant Thomas.

He has also worked at Richmond, supporting coaches Robert Walls and John Northey.

Apart from helping Thomas with match-ups in the box at the Saints, he worked with Malcolm Blight and Ross Lyon.

Parker is now the coaching director at De La Salle College and general manager of a design business.

The alleged comments by Head were made three days after then Saints coach Thomas gave the umpires a public spray and copped a fine.

Fremantle kicked five goals from free kicks in the thrilling victory.

Parker decided to break away from the St Kilda travelling party, leaving Perth on the "red eye" flight and taking a seat in business class after using frequent flyer points to upgrade.

"I reckon I was 4E or 4F and Tony Jones was behind me. That umpire Matthew Head got on and made some comment," Parker said.

"He and Tony started having a conversation. Tony heard it, I heard it and the bloke beside me heard it.

"I thought, 'You can't be saying that', and Tony took him to task on it."

Parker was next to businessman Mitch Rentessis, who famously scrawled a sentence on his boarding pass after hearing the conversation.

During the controversy, Parker had private discussions with Jones and stressed he would back him all the way.

"I told him his story was 100 per cent right," Parker said.

But Parker did not go public in support of Jones because he was working at the Saints and did not want to put any more pressure on the club.

The AFL cleared Head, who is no longer on the AFL panel.

At the time, a league press release stated: "An independent person in business class gave a comprehensive version of events . . . his version contradicted the allegation."

[bigcarl]

a day that will live in infamy

[bigred]

lol

Shafted.

[saintly]

its not the club cling to the past its certain commentators.

[SaintDebi]

For goodness sake, it seems like the umpires have just started to "forgive" the saints! We had a bad run with them for a while IMO. The last thing we want to do is refresh their memories!

[remboy]

Why is this being raised again now? The last thing we need is to get the umpires offside. Thye've only just started making up for the last five years.

[jonesy]

It's Thomas. He's trying all tactics now,he's getting desperate.
The last two years he's had nothing but good things to say about Lyon when we were playing that dispicable brand of footy. Only when we turn it around and are going great guns does he back track and give his honest opinion on Lyon's last two years.

Let it go Thommo,let it go

[perfectionist]

We all know that "Richard" said it, and that his decisions cost us the game. The whitewash by the AFL was a disgrace, and as is often the case, the cover up was worse than the offence. The umpire may have been joking or foolish but, from that day on, his career was effectively over anyway and so he should have been sacked.

I agree that the timing is not good, but for us die hard Saints fans, the timing of anything, including the rising sun, can bode ill. It seems to me that we have been getting a good, but fair, go from the umps this year. This is partly due to our improved skills in tackling - no silly high ones. I imagine that Grant Thomas will revisit the issue over the next few days, but we'll just have to grin and bear it.

[saintlee]

Its a dead issue...who cares, it was 4 years ago....

[asiu]

it feels like theres a bit of an agenda on , behind the scenes

umpires and management of ....are in the firing line

(as they probably should be)



thomas would be a useable asset at this time

[BAM! (shhhh)]

I find myself wondering a few things in the wake of reading that this morning.

The issue itself ought to be dead. Ought to have been dead the moment the AFL closed it's enquiry, like it or lump it. Yet it's not, here we go again. As for St Kilda trying to raise it, does anyone think an ex-assistant is going to get the time of day to raise a 4 year old issue off his own back? I think not.

Mark Stevens - like him or hate him - is one of the frontline of the Herald Sun journo's. The article is more about vindicating Tony Jones - like him or lump him - than it is about either St Kilda or Fremantle... or even Matthew Head.

For all the parroting about the relationship between umpires and players recently (which I really don't buy), I wonder if the real issues aren't:

1) That the umpires have been found to be an untrusted body for coaches, players, and certainly fans.
2) That the umpires aren't accountable to the media.

Umpiring has been targetted early this year in a way that hasn't happened in a long time, but the AFL and umpires have ignored it... and suddenly a prime time journo brings up an old corruption story...

Whispers in the sky is gone, done, dusted, and this is really not "new evidence"... my question is what inspired Mark Stevens to write the piece?

[SteveStevens66]

The joke in this article is the line by Mark Stevens:

"But the AFL last night launched a strong defense of the investigation process, which exonerated umpires Head and Brett Allen of making inappropriate comments.

"The matter's closed. It is over and dealt with," AFL spokesman Patrick Keane said."

Simply declaring that "The matter's closed" hardly qualifies as a "strong defense."

Gutter journalism by someone you'd have to think is Dimwit's poolboy.

[rodgerfox]

It's Thomas. He's trying all tactics now,he's getting desperate.
The last two years he's had nothing but good things to say about Lyon when we were playing that dispicable brand of footy. Only when we turn it around and are going great guns does he back track and give his honest opinion on Lyon's last two years.

Let it go Thommo,let it go

Did Thomas write this article?

[stinger]

It's Thomas. He's trying all tactics now,he's getting desperate.
The last two years he's had nothing but good things to say about Lyon when we were playing that dispicable brand of footy. Only when we turn it around and are going great guns does he back track and give his honest opinion on Lyon's last two years.

Let it go Thommo,let it go

Did Thomas write this article?

no...got nothing to do with him......we all knew head was lying anyway.......and that the afl covered it up......disgraceful.......but why bring it up now....who's trying to derail us.........

[marksnsparks]

Side issue, wtf are maggots doing in business class?

[bozza1980]

The most ridiculous investigation ever.

It found that nobody was lying, however the comment wasn't uttered.

Case of looking for and finding the nearest rug to sweep the whole thing under.

I don't believe that the umpires deliberately umpired us out of that game. I mean we lost to a kick after the siren, however the whole thing was given lip service by the AFL as they tried to forget it as soon as possible.

Nothing can really be done, it just would have been nice for it to be properly looked into not just white washed.

[meher baba]

I don't know that there is much to be gained by it being brought up again now, but it was a disgraceful incident.

The decision to censure Thomas in 2005 for his comments about the standard of umpiring was bizarre. Many other coaches, players and officials both before and since have made similar or worse comments about umpires without being hauled over the coals to the same extent: eg, McGuire and Kennett recently. Thomas's comments were general criticisms rather than personal.

I have always thought that the AFL's main problem with them was that they were 100% spot on: the current umpiring culture in AFL is a mess, the umpires are encouraged to think that they are bigger than the game and to compete with each other in looking for free kicks that aren't really there.

The umpiring in the Freo game was appalling, with a large number of "home town" decisions being given which undoubtedly affected the final result.

The AFL's "investigation" at the time was a complete joke. Who cares if another so-called "independent" person in business class supported Head's version of events. Aren't journalists such as Jones and McGuire (no Saints fan) supposed to be independent?

[evertonfc]

Geez, as supporters we sure know how to be petty.

It's an interesting subject. I've got no problems reading about it; we never knew the full story - though I think most of us know Tony Jones was right all along. My understanding is that Head said it and that it was in a semi-joking (not that it excuses it) context.

For those of you tying this to Thomas, get a grip on reality. Smacks of desperation, it really does.

He's made a few clarifying comments of late and all he does is get slated for it - pathetic. He even admitted Lyon is coaching "better than I ever could".

Besides, he's in the media now and it's his job to have an opinion. He gets asked questions, he gives honest answers.

FFS - some of you need to build a massive bridge and get over it. It's not affecting the club one iota.

The proof? We're 5-0.

[iwantmeseats]

errr yep, lets move on. Of absolutely zero interest or value now.

[bozza1980]

The AFL's "investigation" at the time was a complete joke. Who cares if another so-called "independent" person in business class supported Head's version of events.

It was a joke, it's like arguing that if you don't see or hear a tree fall it didn't fall.

It was a whitewash, everyone called was telling the truth apparently even though they were giving contradictory evidence.

I still feel that the way the AFL treated the incident is much worse than the actual incident itself. At the end of the day it was a throw away line, he shouldn't have said it sure, but in my mind nothing earth shattering until the AFL tried to cover it up.

[asiu]

who's trying to derail us.........

dont think its about us shark


its about pulling the avocado maggots into line

[stinger]

I don't believe that the umpires deliberately umpired us out of that game. I mean we lost to a kick after the siren, however the whole thing was given lip service by the AFL as they tried to forget it as soon as possible.

and i bet you still believe in santa and the tooth fairy.......

[rexy]

The most ridiculous investigation ever.

It found that nobody was lying, however the comment wasn't uttered.

Case of looking for and finding the nearest rug to sweep the whole thing under.

I don't believe that the umpires deliberately umpired us out of that game. I mean we lost to a kick after the siren, however the whole thing was given lip service by the AFL as they tried to forget it as soon as possible.

Nothing can really be done, it just would have been nice for it to be properly looked into not just white washed.

Spot on Boz, just like the Selwood Headland tribunal hearing in which Selwood did not say anything wrong but Headland was O.K to punch him in the head as he thought he heard something??????? WTF

[Eastern]

Written by Mark Stevens, a Bulldogs supporter. Who do we play this week? !!

[ace]

AFL still an abbreviation for corruption.