Leo Thompson lifts the lid on Bulldogs move following key detail around girlfriend

Yahoo

17-02-2025

Newcastle Knights forward Leo Thompson admitted he is happy to be back playing rugby league after opting against a move to Canberra - where his partner is from - to join the Bulldogs in 2026. Thompson had plenty of NRL clubs chasing him at the end of last year when he was allowed to negotiate with rival teams.
The Knights were hoping their barnstorming prop would remain at the club, but he was attracting big money offers from plenty of rivals. Many thought Thompson would join the Raiders with details emerging his girlfriend was from Canberra. Thompson also played footy for the Canberra juniors.
Late last year, it was reported Canberra were favourites to sign the New Zealand international with a big-money move leaving the NRL club in pole position. The club also felt he could be the long-term successor for Josh Papali'i who left the Raiders.
However, a meeting with Phil Gould prompted Thompson to leave it all behind and join the Bulldogs with the club vastly improving under the guidance of general manager Gould and coach Cameron Ciraldo. While the Bulldogs will gain an international representative in 2026, the Knights will lose more stock in their forwards. And after plenty of commentary around his future, Thompson got back to playing rugby league on the weekend having played in the Maori's win over the Indigenous All-Stars on Saturday night.
Speaking afterwords, Thompson said he was happy the saga was over. 'Everything's been put to bed now and I can just focus on my season with Newcastle, so I'm happy that's out of the way. I'm just focused on this year,' he said after the All Stars game.
'It was hard. It took me a while to come to terms with it, but it is what it is and I've made my decision. The club and my teammates have been understanding of it and they know that I've put that aside and I'm going to be with the Newcastle Knights 100 per cent this year.'
While Thompson did meet with Gould in an important meeting that influenced his decision, the forward admitted he wouldn't be sharing the details of what occurred. 'That's between us,' he laughed. 'I'm not worried about the Bulldogs this year. I'm all Newcastle.'
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While it will be his last season in Newcastle, Thompson is ready to give it his all for the jersey. Having made his name at the club, Thompson is aware there are a number of veterans lining-up in 2025 who want to make the most of their season.
Thompson said there was a special 'vibe' in pre-season ahead of the 2025 season and he was ready to go full throttle to hopefully finish on a high. "I know that this is going to be my last year with Newcastle, I want to go out with a bang," Thompson added.
"There are a few of our boys that are getting along like 'Friz' (Tyson Frizell) and 'Gags' (Dane Gagai). Hopefully, they keep playing for the next three to four years, but we don't know how long they're going to be playing for. That's a bit of a vibe in our team that we need to make it happen this year."
Thompson will be joining a much improved Bulldogs side, but will add much needed power to the forward pack. The Bulldogs will head into the season with Max King, Samuel Hughes and Josh Curran all available to play down the middle of the park.