A fiery English prop from St Helens once changed Canterbury’s pack and Luke Thompson wants to be the second one in a decade to make an impact on the NRL side.
The 25-year-old was a Saints fan before he went on to play 157 games for the side and watched as club legend James Graham made the move to Australia to play for the Bulldogs in 2012.
Now he’s made that move.
“I always followed (the NRL) briefly since James Graham came over from Saints because I always followed that team at the time and I always fancied it as a goal,” Thompson said on Thursday.
“I never thought about it too much until the opportunity came up.
“The more I looked at it, the more I thought it’s an opportunity I’ll never get again in life and it’s something I really wanted to do.”
Graham went on to captain the club and lead the Bulldogs to two NRL grand finals in three years and five finals appearances in six seasons, but Thompson faces a new challenge.
It will be a baptism of fire when Thompson starts at lock for his NRL debut against Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday.
The Bulldogs have won just one game this season, and the Broncos, under enormous pressure to break a six-game losing streak, will be as desperate as ever.
It’s an entirely different environment from the one Thompson left at St Helens where he was man of the match in last year’s Super League grand final.
Adding to a long list of English forwards who have come to the NRL to test themselves, Thompson has rightly sought wisdom from those before him including Sam Burgess and Graham.
Their advice? Be yourself.
“They just think I’ll do really well and I’ll enjoy it out here,” he said.
“They’ve been right at the minute, I’m really enjoying it. I’ll have to see how I go on the field.
“I’m really confident though, I’ve got a great group around me and the coaching staff is great at the Bulldogs and everyone is working really hard for each other.
“I know results haven’t been going their way but I’m really confident we’re going to turn the screw because everyone is working really hard for each other.”
