Mark Thompson ready to move on with AFL after Essendon drugs saga

Mark Thompson says he is grateful the AFL invited him to present the Jock McHale Medal at this year’s grand final, revealing who he thinks he will be presenting it to.

Essendon coach Mark Thompson during the quarter time break, during the Round 11 AFL match between the Essendon Bombers and the Richmond Tigers at the MCG in Melbourne, Saturday, May 31, 2014. (AAP Image/Joe Castro) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLY

Mark “Bomber” Thompson says it’s “time to forgive and forget’’ and expects to hand the Jock McHale Medal to Collingwood coach Craig McRae.

Thompson, 59, said he was grateful to be invited by the AFL to take part on grand final day.

“They asked me and I didn’t see any reason why I wouldn’t do it – so I said ‘yes’ and I’m looking forward to being a part of it,” he said.

“They never mentioned anything (about the past) and I didn’t mention it. We should just all move forward and get on with things.

“It was always going to happen some time, so it may as well be now.

“It’s forgive and forget and move forward.’’

He was contacted by long-time AFL employee Patrick Keane about the role and despite not talking to AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan, he said would have no issue when they meet.

Mark Thompson will present the Jock McHale medal after this year’s Grand Final.

“Yeah, I will talk to him, no problem, I haven’t got a resentful bone left,’’ Thompson said.

Asked if he had moved on personally from the toll of the Essendon drugs saga, Thompson said: “I’ve learnt to live with it. It still bobs up, people talk about it. It’s in my life, it’s real. So there’s no point fighting it, you might as well just live with it.”

The two-time Geelong premiership coach and triple Essendon premiership player said he had begun watching football again and was impressed by Collingwood.

“They’ve been the most consistent team all year apart from those little bits they’ve had recently, which probably wasn’t a bad thing,” Thompson said.

Mark Thompson expects to be congratulating Craig McRae on grand final day. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

“The way they played their last match (in Round 24 against Essendon) it looked like they were back in the game. They just work a bit harder and probably longer. They’ve had a bit of a spell and now they’re ready to go and are clearly the best side.”

Asked about what had happened to the Bombers late in the season, Thompson said: “The Bombers? What normally happens to the Bombers. I don’t know what it is, but whenever people go there, it’s almost like they blend into the organisation rather than changing it.

“It doesn’t matter who is there. You would have thought Paul Little could’ve changed it and Paul Brasher is a really decent person, too. But it just chews them up.”