Canterbury Englishman Luke Thompson has decided to honour his contract despite suffering homesickness, and has revealed his girlfriend will be moving to Australia next season.
The British prop returned in last weeks game against Gold Coast after being rested in round 16 against Canberra.
Thompson has said that in the off-season he will return to the UK before coming back to Australia with his girlfriend.
Kristian Woolf, Thompsons former coach, said the “door was always open” if he wanted to return to the Super League, but he is intent on focusing on his NRL career.
“I’ve signed a three-year deal here and I’m fully committed to the Bulldogs,” said Thompson, who is contracted until the end of 2023.
“We’ve got the new coach next year and I’m really excited for the challenge and my future at the club.
“I’m also looking to bring my girlfriend back for next year, so it should be good.
“But it has been tough since I’ve been here. I’ve come to the other side of the world on my own, but I’ve just been focusing on the rugby and doing my best for the team each week.
“There is three weeks to go and we’ll go from there.”
Despite Canterburys infamous boardroom battles, he says that he has spoken to new coach Trent Barrett and is excited to see what the Bulldogs have in store for the future.
“I spoke to Trent briefly and he seems like a really good fella,” he said.
“He is also really excited about coming to the Bulldogs and trying to take this club forward.
“I’m really looking forward to working with Trent. Results haven’t been going our way, but we’ll take all this hurt from this year, have a good rest up and take it into next year.”
Thompson also dismissed the claims from Phil Gould surrounding the idea that their board is a "toxic mess".
Thompson, who has played for Canterbury since round 9, said he wasn't worried about the clubs officials constantly being at war.
“We just worry about the rugby on the field and what we can do at training.
“Since I’ve been here, everyone at the club has been great to me and I can only see the club going in one direction and I’m really excited to be part of that next year and going forward.”
Thompson is aiming to finish his first NRL season on a high, starting with Canterbury's Friday clash with Manly at ANZ stadium.