The director of an explosive documentary that explores the mistreatment of AFL star Adam Goodes says he had a heated conversation with Sam Newman.
Ian Darling said he received a call from the former Footy Show host- who is featured in ‘The Final Quarter’ – and was asked to explain how he was portrayed.
‘He wanted to know why he was in the film,’ he told news.com.
‘I made it very clear we wanted to simply show the conversation that happened during that period.’
The documentary premiered at the Sydney Film Festival earlier this month and tracks the turbulent, final three years in Goodes’ AFL career.
The director of an explosive documentary that explores the mistreatment of AFL star Adam Goodes (pictured, with partner Natalie Croker) has revealed a heated conversation he shared with Sam Newman
Ian Darling said he received a call from the former Footy Show host (pictured, Sam Newman) – who is featured in ‘The Final Quarter’ – and was asked to explain how he was portrayed
The champion Sydney Swan’s player had been the subject of several jeers after he called out a 13-year-old girl who labelled him an ‘ape’ from the stands during a 2013 match.
They continued for years and intensified when he performed an Indigenous dance during a game in 2015.
Newman has publicly disagreed with Goodes in the past, and claimed that the jeers from the crowd were not racially motivated.
Newman publicly called out Goodes on The Footy Show back in 2015 saying he was booed after miming throwing a spear in the direction of the Carlton cheer squad, not because of his race.
As the film’s director Darling explained, he felt it was important to accurately capture the mood at the time in his new documentary.
‘It was really important that everyone who had a voice was represented and people added to the conversation in so many different ways and Sam played an important role in that conversation,’ Darling said.
Newman has openly criticised the film, last week he took to Twitter to slam the documentary.
‘Criticising someone from another race – doesn’t make you a racist,’ Newman wrote on Twitter.
‘The groveling doco by Sharks**t Productions ”The Final Quarter”, should be ”The Last Straw”. Adam Goodes initially was booed for taunting Carlton fans. Racist? So be it. #racism #fakenews.’
Shortly after tweeting the comment, entertainment reporter Peter Ford said that producers of the documentary had banned Newman from viewing it.
The champion Sydney Swan’s player (pictured, in the documentary) was jeered after he called out a 13-year-old girl who labelled him an ‘ape’ from the stands during a 2013 match
Newman has been a vocal critic of the film. Last week he took to Twitter to slam the documentary
The film has sparked fierce debate and has moved all 18 AFL clubs to apologise ‘unreservedly for our failures.’
‘The treatment of Adam challenges us, and our right to be considered Australia’s indigenous football code. Adam, who represents so much that is good and unique about our game, was subject to treatment that drove him from football. The game did not do enough to stand with him and call it out,’ the statement from the clubs read.
‘We apologise unreservedly for our failures during this period.
‘Failure to call out racism and not standing up for one of our own let down all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players, past and present.
‘Our game is about belonging. We want all Australians to feel they belong and that they have a stake in the game. We will not achieve this while racism and discrimination exists in our game.
Goodes, for his part, said it had taken a great deal of strength to take a stand on the issue.
‘It’s not a comfortable thing to talk about, it’s definitely not a comfortable thing to go through,’ he says in the documentary’s trailer.
‘I’ve decided to stand up, and I’ll continue to stand up.’
Goodes, for his part, said it had taken a great deal of strength to take a stand on the issue
Newman has publicly disagreed with Goodes in the past, and claimed that the jeers from the crowd were not racially motivated