Nick Thompson was a key player in the club’s 2011 premiership, winning the VCFL medal for a best-on-ground performance against Warrnambool.
DUAL premiership player Nick Thompson is wasting no time in getting back into South Warrnambool training, hitting the track just days after returning from an 11-month world tour.
The dynamic midfielder’s homecoming is a big boost for the Roosters.
Thompson was a key player in the club’s 2011 premiership, winning the VCFL medal for a best-on-ground performance against Warrnambool and is a first-choice interleague representative.
The 24-year-old yesterday said he was excited about getting back into footy. The last time he touched a footy was in the 2011 grand final.
After heading to America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Europe, Africa and the Middle East, Thompson revealed he had missed footy.
“I got my girlfriend Kelly to bring me over a little foam footy,” he said.
“It didn’t last too long.
“My skills will be pretty rough.”
Thompson said he had to make a sacrifice to travel.
“I guess you miss it a little bit but when you are going away like that you have to miss something.”
Thompson re-joins younger brother Sam at the Roosters.
“I was always coming back to South,” he said.
After sharing the 2011 premiership with Sam, he is looking forward to being on the park with him again.
But after his first training session on Monday night at the Friendly Societies’ Park, Thompson said his brother hadn’t made life easy for him.
“He’s looking pretty fit. He made me feel pretty old.”
Thompson said he was returning to a totally different side to the one which lost just one match two seasons ago.
“I think I’m one of the oldest ones at the club,” he said.
“There’s Danny Finn, Brad Miller, Scotty Maddern and Dozer (Kym Eagleson) and maybe one or two others older.”
Thompson said he had plenty of work to do to regain full fitness but with a crop of youngsters pushing into the senior side, he was keen to get on with it.
While he admitted to struggling with the time zone, he didn’t want to miss out on too much training with the season just eight weeks away.
Thompson said next month’s pre-season competition would be invaluable for him.
“You can’t beat match practice,” he said.
Thompson’s return comes after the North Ballarat Roosters’ midfielder Zacc Struth opted to come back to South.
Their inclusions will offset the loss of premiership co-captain Jarrod Thompson and best and fairest winner James Hussey, who have left the district.
grbest@fairfaxmedia.com.au
