NRL 2021: Bulldogs prop Luke Thompson return after suspension for eye-gouge

Luke Thompson has broken his silence on the ‘harsh suspension’ over an eye-gouge that saw him miss the start of the 2021 season.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 05: Luke Thompson of the Bulldogs is tackled during the round 17 NRL match between the Canterbury Bulldogs and the Gold Coast Titans at ANZ Stadium on September 05, 2020 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

Canterbury prop Luke Thompson is still hurting after missing the first month of the season because of an eye gouge charge.

The English international maintains his innocence despite being found guilty at the judiciary for eye-gouging then Panthers skipper James Tamou in the final round of the regular season. The suspension has left a bitter taste in Thompson’s mouth.

“It was quite upsetting,” Thompson said. “I’m still upset by it. It’s not something I tried to do intentionally. It was an accident, how my hands ended up on his face.

The moment Luke Thompson’s hands ended up near James Tamou’s eye.

“I’m not that type of player. I never will be. It’s pretty pointless. At the time the guy (Tamou) said he was only doing it to get a penalty and he said it afterwards. I was a bit baffled by it. It is what it is.

“I was shocked. Maybe I thought (I might be suspended for) a week for being careless. To get four games was harsh. It’s been done now. I will be trying to keep my hands away from people’s faces.”

Thompson will now work at repairing his reputation. He was just 10 games into his NRL stint when he was whacked with the charge. It capped a whirlwind year for Thompson who battled isolation in England before relocating to Australia mid-season to join the Bulldogs.

“The more I play over here, people will see that I’m not that type of player,” Thompson said. “It’s not something I need to do. I work hard and train hard and try and do a job for my team. I don’t need to do any of that rubbish.

“(Last year had its) challengers. I was happy with how I did last year and proud of what I achieved. “One thing that’s key to playing well is getting away from rugby in your downtime. I couldn’t get away from it. It was training home, home training. It was rugby on the television.”

Luke Thompson maintains his innocence, claiming he was just careless with his hands in a tackle. Picture: Getty Images.

After arriving last year with big expectations, Thompson is again expected to lead the Bulldogs side out of the doldrums. Thompson will make his return against competition heavyweights Melbourne on Saturday.

“I thought I did well in all my games,” Thompson said. “I played 10 games around that five or six games, I started to get my hands on the ball more. It’s been pretty tough and frustrating especially with the boys struggling. I was raring to go after pre-season. It feels like I’ve had a six month pre-season.”

Originally published as NRL 2021: Bulldogs prop Luke Thompson return after suspension for eye-gouge