TOPIC:

Leedy wrote:

Senior Seagull wrote: I think everyone agrees that it is as rare as hens teeth that umpiring turns the result of a game and this particular game is certainly not one of them.

What is most concerning is the media publicity surrounding this issue, it is unprecedented. When has there ever been a public apology given to a club for what some with a certain barrow to push have seen as some wrong decisions. It is patently obvious that the powerful EPFC/WCEFC have brought pressure to bear onto the umpires which is imho totally unethical. Clubs are within their rights to make presentations to the umpires advisor with concerns they may have had around some decisions or interpretations, every club has done this on many occasions, but it has always been kept in-house and has always been the policy to not publically bag the umpires so that youngsters don't learn these negative attitudes. Why then has this particular club with particularly powerful connections been able to breach that accepted practice?

I would like to hear some calls into the Saturday morning ABC sportstalk programme asking for an explanation from the EPFC/WCE, the Umpires advisor and the WAFC. No doubt they will all suddenly disappear into their ivory towers feeling they are above explaining their actions.

Spot on SS, Sinclair released a statement (to all the umpires at least) that he said nothing of the nature and to ignore the comments made by Turner, a "please explain" has or will be issued to the Ferals.

Thanks SS for your input and you have said it all. Just the point you make about the Umpires board not comming out of their own Volition to run down the 3 guys who did this game and considering the margin it was not a goal on the siren decision.
Leedy hopefully JT hasnt written this article to get some reaction because my thoughts were when reading it were it seems to be all over the place and one minute he was saying one thing and then another... the article is so Contradictory IMO. It jumps from the Umpires being the Villians then the EPFC being the villians and the EPFC saying it was their own teams fault they lost because of their effort but the Article clearly states Sinclair apologized to the EPFC!!!Why would he do that unless a complaint wasnt made?

As one poster says it is totally against tradition and not exceptable that the umpires actually apologize after a game... It has never happened before and will never happen again. I feel for the 3 umpires who did this very Volitional game and a game played in great passion by both sides...and I suspect a VERY hard game to control.

Interesting comment Leedy that Sinclair issued a statement to the umpires re the issue as he knows his credibility and loyalty IF he did apologize to he EPFC it will certainly not add to the confidence of WAFL umpires knowing HE HAD STABBED them in the back.

Will be interesting to see what comes out of this issue.. Which as some claim is a storm in a teacup and no harm done... Crap it is not a storm in a teacup and reflects on the Credibility of our WAFL

Frank Falcon wrote: Are you guys serious. We had Marcus Adams. Jordan Jones and Max Alexander out and out Full Back and CHB are first year players.

So which two are your W.A.squad members and which one is your fairest and best.

Winger wrote:
The article was written by John [Pete] Townsend who I think generally writes good balanced articles. Turner said that the umpires came back to us and said their performance was disgraceful, I don't believe that. Those two free kicks did not start the MOMENTUM SHIFT in the match, sorry Mr Turner, the MOMENTUM SHIFT started at the eighteen minute mark of the third quarter. Cardy is right, Dean Turners comments are ambiguous and the West Australian newspaper should not have published this article. The East Perth Football Club does not need this type of crap. The East Perth Football Club are a great club and are needed in the WAFL as an authentic entity. The WAFL needs genuine rivalry not contrived unauthentic crap including crap in the newspaper.

Cardy wrote

Good comment Winger but dont know about the EP being a great club? (maybe in the past before the alignment that is true) Do you mean by an authentic entity they drop the alignment because at the moment they are not Authentic in any way

But moving on .. I have looked at the Budget and find the 3 umpires concerned are doing League games...
Jordon Wright WP V EF
Ben Laycock Subi v SD
Rob McCaw CLA V EP

I find this very strange if the report of Sinclair apologizing to the EPFC for bad umpiring is true why have these 3 umpires have league games the week after?

Also the claim by Sinclair to his Umpires the comments are false as stated by Leedy.

What a tangled web we have here... It smells to high heaven.
Maybe the truth will come out next week.
I like JT because he usually reports the facts and supports WAFL but I suspect he is not very popular with EP or the Umpires board at the moment.

I wonder if JT actually cares??

Could it be that this journo is as underwhelmed by the alignment and the manner in which the WAFL is being guided?
possibly he too is as disgusted in the apology engineered by the AFL club & from the EP hierarchy - no matter his private allegiance to a team now Dead!!

I fear that the door this has opened will be slammed shut. It will become boardroom chuckle fodder about another outcome hidden

Of course the messenger may get shot?
Pity if this happens - its nice to have a investigative journo amongst the 'not-so-independants'.....

Very disappointing Im afraid

As i read it Dean Turner was quoted not Sinclair. Dont shoot the messenger

East Perth is not a great club at the moment I agree. But as far as WA sporting and social history is concerned the EPFC is a truly great club. I think even most WP supporters except for the lunatic fringe would acknowledge that.

Doesn't really matter if they are not state players or fairest and best winners.
They are just us important to us as what your player loss is.

townsend reported what turner told him. Sinclair issued a memo to all the umpires that what was printed was bulls5it. turner is on notice by the wafc and more than likely will be fined. that wont be reported in the paper and will be kept quite. how bad can it be, regals cant win a game, player manager tells porkies and cant negotiate. how low can the ferals go, HEY???????????? BUT WAIT, the ferals will get another four or five hundred thousand bucks at the end of the season that will take them over the million dollar mark with last years booty. who are the fools here lads. all this loot will set the ferals up for years,HEY.

screemar wrote: townsend reported what turner told him. Sinclair issued a memo to all the umpires that what was printed was bulls5it. turner is on notice by the wafc and more than likely will be fined. that wont be reported in the paper and will be kept quite. how bad can it be, regals cant win a game, player manager tells porkies and cant negotiate. how low can the ferals go, HEY???????????? BUT WAIT, the ferals will get another four or five hundred thousand bucks at the end of the season that will take them over the million dollar mark with last years booty. who are the fools here lads. all this loot will set the ferals up for years,HEY.

Except they don't have a club, have alienated a significant portion of their supporter base who may walk away forever.

All I can say is although we were beaten fair and square today we at Swans deserve an apology for todays disgraceful discrepencies! At one stage 23 kicks to 7 for fuck sake and then when the game was done and dusted the obligatory evening up of things occurs so it says 25 to 17 at the finish. We must be on the bottom of the free kick ladder for eternity and it fuckin shits me!!! Cmon Swans get some cash out from somewhere and pay these cheating green slimey maggots to give us a fair run for once this century!!! And yes folks I am pissed off!!