Former Bulldogs, Titans, and Wests Tigers winger Corey Thompson has revealed he will officially hang up the boots at the end of the 2023 season.
The former NRL winger announced his retirement at the end of the 2022 season but was coaxed back for one more season with the Brisbane Tigers in the Queensland Cup after finishing up with the Gold Coast Titans.
As the Tigers finished third at the end of the regular season, they will take on the second-place Souths Logan Magpies on Saturday in Week 1 of the competition's finals. Ironically, Thompson made his rugby league debut for the Magpies back in 2010, before his NRL journey started.
โThis was always going to my last year,โ Thompson said via QRL.com.au.
โWhen I retired professionally, I wasn't going to play anymore. (The Tigers) reached out and asked if I would be keen to come back.
โThis is the club that sent me to do my first NRL pre-season. It was good to come back and show the young boys that they can make it from this club, but it was always going to be my last year.
โI think (Cup coach Matt Church) tried to string it along a bit longer, but it was always going to be my last year. The motivation to prepare each week and go to training three times a week, it's starting to get a bit too hard.โ
A noted workaholic, Thompson has applied his trade in the outside backs in over 170 games across both theย NRLย andย Super League. His stints included time with the Canterbury Bulldogs (2014-15), Widnes Vikings (2016-17), Wests Tigers (2018-20) and Gold Coast Titans (2020-22).
During his career, he scored a total of 88 tries and 370 points, and earned a Grand Final appearance in 2014 for the Bulldogs against the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
Whilst his playing career will come to an end in the coming weeks, he has continued to build a portfolio as a coach. Presently working as the head coach for the renowned Keebra Park State High School, he will join the Brisbane Tigers as an assistant coach under Matt Church in 2024.
