Lance Thompson dead at 40: NRL St George Illawarra great mourned
FORMER St George Illawarra and Cronulla player Lance Thompson has died.
Multiple media outlets say the 40-year-old was found by his 17-year-old daughter at a unit on The Kingsway, Cronulla, about 9pm on Thursday.
Police say the death was not suspicious and may have been due to a “medical incident” rather than self harm. A report is being prepared for the coroner.
Tributes have begun pouring in on social media for the former second rower, who played 239 games across 14 seasons in the NRL.
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Thompson made his first grade debut for the Dragons as a 17-year-old in 1995 and played with the club through its merger and grand final defeat against Melbourne Storm in 1999.
He moved to Cronulla in 2006, playing 38 games for the Sharks before retiring in 2008.
Former NRL player turned media personality Darryl Brohman was one of many to express his shock on social media, saying he had a beer with Thompson just last week.
Commentator Andrew Voss said he was “absolutely numb” at the news. Voss had Thompson on his TV show The Fan this year where the pair reflected on the former Dragon and Shark’s playing days and also on his journey in life after football.
Thompson was one of the most respected players in the game and was unlucky to never pull on a sky blue or Australian jersey. The hard-nosed back rower was known for doing the tough stuff on the field — taking care of the little things that might not make the highlights reel but were just as important to helping the team.
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The uncompromising tackling machine represented the City Origin side five times and in his first clash for Cronulla against his former side in 2006, scored two tries.
In 2007 he suffered a season-ending knee injury and not long after was diagnosed with type one diabetes. In 2008 his troublesome knee forced him into retirement.
“Retiring will give me a chance to deal with both my knee and my injuries,” Thompson said in April that year. “It will also help me deal with my diabetes.”
After announcing his retirement, then-Sharks coach Ricky Stuart paid tribute to one of the toughest men to play the game.
“I have played with and against plenty of tough players, but none have been tougher than Lance Thompson,” Stuart said in 2008.
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