Lance Thompson (born 16 February, 1978 in Sydney, New South Wales) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. He played for the St. George Dragons, the St. George Illawarra Dragons and the Cronulla Sharks. He primarily played in the second row, though he also played prop forward.

He currently coaches the Cronulla side in the reserve-grade NSW Cup competition.

[edit] Playing career

While attending Kingsgrove High School, Thompson was selected to play for the Australian Schoolboys team in 1994 and 1995.^[1] He played his junior football with Hurstville United.

[edit] 1995

Lance Thompson made his first grade debut in Round 13, St George v Cronulla at Toyota Park, 24 June, 1995 as a 17 year old.

[edit] 1995-2005

Thompson was a regular in the Dragons side until a much-publicised falling out with the club occurred in late 2005 and he signed with the Sharks, the Dragons' traditional rivals.

[edit] 2006-2007

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 Dragon 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.

[edit] 2008

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 Sharks coach Ricky Stuart gave Thompson his last game in Round 6 for his "last hurrah".^[2] Thompson scored a try early in the match but Cronulla lost the game 20–21 in golden point.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Cronulla Sharks profile
• NRL Profile

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