Opinion Thompson is a fraud

[vegny]

Hasnt been that impressive. At least for someone earning the amount being mentioned here. Having said that with different coach, environment and motivation, he might improve. E.g. i used to think rcg was a cat. Had a bad year too. Moved to a different club, playing under different coach and now looking really good.

 

[CrittaMagic69]

You talked pay up for two years solid and you where wrong everyone makes mistakes eh?

He just likes spinning shit, just ignore him.

 

[maroondog72]

The grass was too long, wind blew too hard, sun was positioned poorly, etc.

At the end of the day he's supposed to be a prop and a props job is to generate momentum, everything else comes after that.

I reckon your jumping the gun on this bloke Marley, sure he’s dropped some intensity from his first couple of matches but I won’t judge him until he’s had a full pre season and we’ve got some real systems in place to help him adapt to the NRL the club has been a cluster fuck since he stepped off the plane, he had two different coaches in as many weeks and now all the conditioning staff he’s been working with have been punted by the bloke who will be his third coach in six months, I mean FMD it’s got to be a bit disconcerting

 

[maroondog72]

He just likes spinning shit, just ignore him.

All good bro

 

[DinkumDog]

He's a prop, Him in the 13 jersey doesn't change shit.

So first you celebrated his signing, then expressed doubts about him as prop and said he was a lock, which he’s been playing since his arrival, yet now you’re saying he’s a prop and he’s a fraud. OK .

 

[Kempsey Dog]

Or he's just not that good. Looked average during the internationals and the game against the Roosters.

I thought he was good that game. Difference is Lomax and Fages dictate play and love playing out wide so Thompson would run lines out wide were second rowers run lines in NRL not middles... I think that's probably the route we will have to take with him.
11. Thompson
12. Elliot
13. Jackson
Is probably our best way around his and Jackson's current issue and we are really overpaying all of them

 

[Natboy]

Suck me off you dumb dog

I thought you had blocked me you cat

 

[the_insider]

Only forward bending the line other than Ogden not a fraud at all there’s plenty in the side he’s one of the few that aren’t

Bending the line? He's had 39 post contact metres total over his last 2 games, Doorey in his 1st game had 33 post contact metres off the bench today

 

[the_insider]

In super league he was head and shoulders better than the likes of Ryan Sutton and Mike Cooper, yet i can see them being better NRL players. Thompson is a very good player, but the NRL is different to super league.

I think you've made a great point. Sutton isn't very skilled and has feet for hands but he's tough as nails and is better suited to the NRL. Thompson is the quintessential super league forward, slightly undersized but mobile and good leg speed but it's hard for him with the extra physicality and also playing behind a mediocre pack. It's not too different to some players being really good in juniors because they're used to just running over people and breaking tackles but they then get to first grade where most players can actually tackle and they don't have a plan B.

 

[the_insider]

Give him a full off-season with strength and conditioning for NRL games.

He seems like he’s too top heavy, which is why he’s always easy to tackle.

Don’t forget, he hasn’t played or trained this year prior to the Bulldogs, and came from Super League which requires different body conditioning.

Yep completely different level of physicality over here. You're nit alone in your top heavy thoery, I remember watching the video of him doing his workouts during his hotel quarantine and thinking how skinny his legs were.

 

[oldpuppy]

I'm on the fence at the moment on him. He's definitely not been initiated into a good system. Sam Burgess, James Graham, John Bateman came into teams that where on the up. Further enhancing the pommie forward legacy.
I'll take this year as a lesson for Luke to acclimitise to the pace and demands of the NRL.
I do agree with the ops about him being a middle forward. I don't see that at the moment either.

 

[B-Train]

If everyone's so concerned with Thompson's physique, just get Gallen and Dank to be his personal trainers over the offseason..

Seriously though, it's not like he can't bulk up and do more legs so that he has a better base and leg drive.. Let's see how he transforms his body over his first NRL offseason and what he works on to improve his game under Barrett before we try and deport him.

 

[LordSidious66]

Hasn't done anything special lately. Hope that is due to poorcoaching and a poor roster. Hope he turns it around next year. Otherwise he can go back to England.

 

[CrittaMagic69]

I reckon your jumping the gun on this bloke Marley, sure he’s dropped some intensity from his first couple of matches but I won’t judge him until he’s had a full pre season and we’ve got some real systems in place to help him adapt to the NRL the club has been a cluster fuck since he stepped off the plane, he had two different coaches in as many weeks and now all the conditioning staff he’s been working with have been punted by the bloke who will be his third coach in six months, I mean FMD it’s got to be a bit disconcerting

Maybe...but I'm dramatic and I love going off early haha.

I'm just massively concerned, my worries about him before he came over have proven to be true and it's a massive downer. We needed a proper play 1 prop and this guy isn't even close to it and now we're stuck with a forward pack of Thompson, Napa, Jackson and Elliott...there's just no balance. We've spent big money and once again look to need to spend big money to get our selves a proper prop.

 

[JUNKYARD DOGS]

I think he needs another top class prop to play along side. Don’t think our style of footy suits him to play lock. Put him on an edge let him run some decent lines with his speed and will stand out more.
Think he’s far from a fraud and will only improve.

 

[KiwiDog7]

For the rest of the season I think he comes off the bench

Interesting to hear SG say his plan was to bring Doorey on the right edge and push JJ to 13

My pack for remainder of season which won’t happen

8. Ogden
9. Katoa
10. Sue
11. Doorey
12. RFM
13. JJ

14. JMK
15. Toomaga
16. Thompson
17. Napa/Tolman IDC

 

[Dogs Of War]

Greg Alexander pointed out the biggest problem for him, for a bloke that isn't offloading, he needs to run the ball more. He might be struggling to call for the ball, with others like Tolman getting preference. Hopefully Barrett can either get him to work on an offload, cause that really helps a team get another phase of attack, or get him a better role for him to inject himself more.

 

[JUNKYARD DOGS]

Greg Alexander pointed out the biggest problem for him, for a bloke that isn't offloading, he needs to run the ball more. He might be struggling to call for the ball, with others like Tolman getting preference. Hopefully Barrett can either get him to work on an offload, cause that really helps a team get another phase of attack, or get him a better role for him to inject himself more.

Tolman having so many nothing hit ups is stopping the progress of the rest of the forwards.

 

[Straight18]

People think its something to do with his pysique or skinny legs lol fuck me dead.

 

[the_insider]

People think its something to do with his pysique or skinny legs lol fuck me dead.

He's listed at 102kg which is the size of a lot of modern day centres and wingers in the NRL, I can't think of many props that size. Go watch abit of ESL and you'll see it's a different game, quicker but a lot less physical which is tailor made for a smaller mobile prop/middle forward like Thompson. Physique is one of the more important factors that make up a player hence why they spend so much time in the gym and Thompson definitely has a less developed lower body than upper body which probably has an affect on things like post contact metres and leg drive.