Lance Thompson

Lance Thompson (16 February 1978 – 23 August 2018) was an Australian professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. He played for St. George, St. George Illawarra and Cronulla-Sutherland. He primarily played in the second-row, though he also played prop.

For the Balmain and Newtown player, see Lance Thompson (rugby league, born 1961).

Lance Thompson
Personal information
Born(1978-02-16)16 February 1978
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Died23 August 2018(2018-08-23) (aged 40)
Cronulla, New South Wales, Australia
Playing information
Height185 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight100 kg (15 st 10 lb)
PositionSecond-row, Prop
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1995–98 St George Dragons 69 4 9 0 34
1999–05 St. George Illawarra 132 20 8 0 96
2006–08 Cronulla Sharks 38 5 1 0 22
Total 239 29 18 0 152
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2001–07 NSW City 5 0 0 0 0
Source: [1]

Background

While attending Kingsgrove High School, Thompson was selected to play for the Australian Schoolboys team in 1994 and 1995.[2] He played his junior football with Hurstville United.

Professional playing career

St. George and St. George Illawarra

Thompson made his first grade debut in Round 13, St George against Cronulla at Toyota Park, 24 June 1995 as a 17-year-old. He played for the club until the end of 2006. Thompson played at second-row forward for St. George in the 1996 ARL Grand Final loss to Manly Warringah and for St. George Illawarra Dragons in their 1999 NRL Grand Final loss to the Melbourne Storm. During his many years at the Dragons, Lance Thompson was a crowd favourite at Kogarah and Wollongong, and it caused some controversy amongst supporters when he departed at the end of the 2005 season.[3]

Cronulla-Sutherland

During 2006, Thompson's appearances for Cronulla against his former side, St George Illawarra, were highly anticipated. The first of these matches saw Thompson scoring two tries, and the second involved St. George player Dean Young being injured in a Thompson tackle, sidelining Young for most of the 2007 season.

In 2007 Thompson was selected for the final time for the City side which won the annual City vs. Country match, the NSWRL's precursor to the State of Origin series. Thompson played his final NRL game in Round 6 against the Penrith Panthers after announcing his retirement from Rugby league on Wednesday, 16 April. In a press conference, Thompson explained that the reason for this decision was an ongoing knee injury sustained in 2007 and because he was diagnosed with type one diabetes and that he had "one last game left in him." Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks coach Ricky Stuart gave Thompson his last game in Round 6 for his "last hurrah."[4] Thompson scored a try early in the match but Cronulla lost the game 20–21 in golden point.

Post playing

Thompson later became coach of the Cronulla side in the reserve-grade New South Wales Cup competition. At the time of his death, he managed the bistro at the Woolooware Golf Club, which was thriving at the time.[5]

Death

Thompson died in Cronulla on 23 August 2018.[6] The death was believed to be a medical episode.[7] He was honored by more than 400 friends, family, teammates, and coaches at a tribute luncheon in Sydney.[8]

References
  1. "Lance Thompson - Career Stats & Summary". Rugby League Project.
  2. "Australian Secondary Schools Rugby League". Sporting Pulse. Archived from the original on 1 September 2006. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
  3. "Thommo joins Sharks; Sticky sorry for ref rant". NRL.
  4. "Thompson to call time". Fox Sports Australia. AAP. 16 April 2008. Archived from the original on 22 May 2011. Retrieved 16 April 2008.
  5. Woolooware Golf Club Menu Woolooware Golf Club 2018
  6. "Lance Thompson: NRL mourns the death of Dragons legend". Fox Sports Australia. 24 August 2018. Archived from the original on 24 August 2018. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  7. "NRL great Lance Thompson dies at 40". 2GB. 23 August 2018. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
  8. "Lance Thompson: Hard nut with a soft underbelly". National Rugby League. 15 February 2019. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
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