Sacked podcast episode 2: Grant Thomas bombshell revelations on the ‘Whispers In the Sky’ AFL game

Former St Kilda coach Grant Thomas believes his continuing feud with AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou played a key part in the dramatic fallout to the Whispers in the Sky scandal.

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”.

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

SUBSCRIBE TO THE SACKED PODCAST

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.

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

SUBSCRIBE TO THE SACKED PODCAST

“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.”

Originally published as Sacked podcast episode 2: Grant Thomas bombshell revelations on the ‘Whispers In the Sky’ AFL game