Signings tracker: Leo Thompson’s twin brother signs with Knights as their attention now turns to keeping Kiwis prop

Leo Thompson has a new reason to stay with the Knights after the club made a clever signing on the eve of the November 1 deadline.

The Knights have made a shrewd move by signing Tyrone Thompson in a bid to tempt his identical twin Leo to extend his stay at the club, with the international prop set to test his value on the open market.

Leo has one year left on his current deal worth a reported $350,000, with several clubs willing to pay a lot more for the New Zealand representative who has had a couple of tremendous years in the middle for Newcastle.

Yep - there's two of them now 👊⚔️

Details - https://t.co/0wWm25BWYu#defendthekingdompic.twitter.com/PwvrC3zZdb

— Newcastle Knights (@NRLKnights) October 31, 2024

He will be free to negotiate with rivals from Friday, with clubs like the Bulldogs and the Dragons on the hunt for someone like Thompson to add some starch to their forward pack.

Thompson has spent the past three years at the Knights and will return to the Kiwis side for this weekend’s must-win game against Tonga after he missed the Kangaroos clash due to suspension.

But the Knights are still in the mix to keep him, with Tyrone’s arrival next year on an NRL development contract to be a key factor when he decides where he wants to play in 2026.

Tyrone has come through the New Zealand rugby union system and represented the All Blacks XV side in 2022.

Leo Thompson is back in the Kiwis side after he missed the game against Australia due to suspension. Picture: Hannah Peters/Getty Images

“Tyrone is a very gifted player, with a burning desire to follow in his brother’s footsteps and play in NRL,” Knights head of recruitment Peter O’Sullivan said.

“He has proven to be a highly skilful and powerful player in rugby, representing at international level for the Maori All Blacks and All Blacks XV after being in elite junior pathway teams and programs for many years.

“I vividly remember watching the brothers play for Napier Boys High. Leo was a centre and Tyrone an athletic forward. They were both elite players who stood out.

“To be prepared to walk away from where he is comfortable in the All-Blacks system and have a crack at the NRL shows his desire to follow Leo into the NRL and he can’t wait to begin that journey to becoming a Knight.”

Originally published as Signings tracker: Leo Thompson’s twin brother signs with Knights as their attention now turns to keeping Kiwis prop