FORMER St Helens forward Joel Thompson has come out of retirement to join his local club, the Currumbin Eagles, in the Rugby League Gold Coast competition.
After last appearing in rugby league back in 2021 for St Helens in Super League, Thompson retired due to niggling injuries.
However, he is now back in the game after a chance meeting with Eagles boss Matt Geyer whilst out walking.
“It’s funny, I ran into Matt (Geyer) a few times while on a walk and we got chatting and I told him I wanted to play again,” Thompson told the Gold Coast Bulletin.
“Then I decided to come down to training and try it out.
“I have only heard wonderful things about Currumbin and living in the area, I thought I would be foolish to not go there.
“They have been so welcoming already and it has been a lot of fun just to have a run around.
“What Matt has done for that club already and the way he wants to go about it is just another reason why I went down to the club.”
Thompson played 19 games for Saints in 2021, scoring a solitary try, though he missed out on Saints’ Super League Grand Final success that year. But, the second-rower had made his name in the NRL competition, debuting for Canberra Raiders in 2008.
The 35-year-old played 89 times for the Green Machine before moving on to St George Illawarra Dragons in 2014 – with whom he registered another 86 appearances – and then Manly Sea Eagles in 2018.
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