Former St. Kilda rover, Phil Narkle, a regular cult hero to the throng at Moorabbin in the mid ‘80s has had his crash helmet, long thought to have disappeared, finally returned. The reinforced rubber and latex item was located after an agonising search which lasted several months - in an especially ruinous condition.
Colour co-ordinated in red, white and black to match the Saints guernsey, the protective headgear Narkle wore in an injury ravaged 48 game career at Linton Street was recently auctioned off, for an undisclosed amount, to raise money for the W.A. based former champion. Unbeknownst to Narkle and his manager Doug Matera, the helmet, which former St. Kilda winger Geoff ‘Joffa’ Cunningham once told Scott Palmer had “magical powers” was sold privately to an anonymous buyer rather than offered as was originally intended for public bidding where it may have fetched twice as much.
Matera, who claims to be a third cousin of West Coast’s enigmatic forward pocket Wally, said the piece was found in an art exhibition staged by musician Luke Steele who fronts the popular group Sleepy Jackson.
“It was embossed in taffeta and being displayed as an ‘artefact of lost fashion” Matera recalled with disgust. “The guy is quoted in a Ben Lee song for Christsake.”
The exhibition held in the seaside Perth suburb of Scarborough combined video installations, pop art and found objects. Labelled “shithouse” by Dave Hickey, a passer by, who had entered the space under the impression it was a Peep Show, the exhibition failed to secure any buyers.
Hickey, no relation to the Las Vegas based teacher and writer, said that a $2 neon sign hanging in the window of the gallery had fooled him into thinking he was in for an entirely different form of show.
“They had whores in there all right” Hickey recalled. “Just not the type you want to give your hard-earned to.”
Matera and Narkle are currently seeking legal advice on what they claim as being "earnest desecration of a sacred indigenous Australian object". Compensation for damages were also being sought by the pair.
Narkle, recruited from Swan Districts (and a member of their team of the century), crossed from the Saints to West Coast where he played out his career. Around this time he unsuccessfully sued a fellow AFL footballer, whose identity can’t be disclosed, over what Narkle perceived as copyright infringement for use of the nickname “magic”.
After deliberating for several seconds, Judge Colin Judge (brother of Hawthorn star Ken) ruled in favour of the defence counsel after it had established that over 6,000 indigenous footballers around the globe “had either used or been branded with the moniker of ‘magic’ during their long or brief Australian Rules careers.”
Matera refused to comment on whether the “magical powers” of the recently found helmet were connected to Narkle’s nickname. He did, however, claim that the value of the item had been “diminished considerably” after the exhibition.
“Look, Steele’s put his painted fingernails all over it” Matera said. “It’s safe to say it’s worthless now.”
Matera would not say whether Narkle’s Swan Districts headgear would be auctioned off in the near future.
Colour co-ordinated in red, white and black to match the Saints guernsey, the protective headgear Narkle wore in an injury ravaged 48 game career at Linton Street was recently auctioned off, for an undisclosed amount, to raise money for the W.A. based former champion. Unbeknownst to Narkle and his manager Doug Matera, the helmet, which former St. Kilda winger Geoff ‘Joffa’ Cunningham once told Scott Palmer had “magical powers” was sold privately to an anonymous buyer rather than offered as was originally intended for public bidding where it may have fetched twice as much.
Matera, who claims to be a third cousin of West Coast’s enigmatic forward pocket Wally, said the piece was found in an art exhibition staged by musician Luke Steele who fronts the popular group Sleepy Jackson.
“It was embossed in taffeta and being displayed as an ‘artefact of lost fashion” Matera recalled with disgust. “The guy is quoted in a Ben Lee song for Christsake.”
The exhibition held in the seaside Perth suburb of Scarborough combined video installations, pop art and found objects. Labelled “shithouse” by Dave Hickey, a passer by, who had entered the space under the impression it was a Peep Show, the exhibition failed to secure any buyers.
Hickey, no relation to the Las Vegas based teacher and writer, said that a $2 neon sign hanging in the window of the gallery had fooled him into thinking he was in for an entirely different form of show.
“They had whores in there all right” Hickey recalled. “Just not the type you want to give your hard-earned to.”
Matera and Narkle are currently seeking legal advice on what they claim as being "earnest desecration of a sacred indigenous Australian object". Compensation for damages were also being sought by the pair.
Narkle, recruited from Swan Districts (and a member of their team of the century), crossed from the Saints to West Coast where he played out his career. Around this time he unsuccessfully sued a fellow AFL footballer, whose identity can’t be disclosed, over what Narkle perceived as copyright infringement for use of the nickname “magic”.
After deliberating for several seconds, Judge Colin Judge (brother of Hawthorn star Ken) ruled in favour of the defence counsel after it had established that over 6,000 indigenous footballers around the globe “had either used or been branded with the moniker of ‘magic’ during their long or brief Australian Rules careers.”
Matera refused to comment on whether the “magical powers” of the recently found helmet were connected to Narkle’s nickname. He did, however, claim that the value of the item had been “diminished considerably” after the exhibition.
“Look, Steele’s put his painted fingernails all over it” Matera said. “It’s safe to say it’s worthless now.”
Matera would not say whether Narkle’s Swan Districts headgear would be auctioned off in the near future.
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