During his time in the competition, no one perfected the art of the intercept like Scott Thompson.

From 2010 to 2019, the 2013 Syd Barker medallist and All-Australian was the AFL's best defender when it came to thwarting opposition attacks.

Catching up with NMFC Media, the champion former Roo identified three of the key areas that helped make him footy's intercept king.

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Trust your teammates

The most prolific 'chop-off' man of the 2010s, Thompson led the AFL in most intercept possessions, tallying 1604 – 140 more than Richmond premiership backman Alex Rance (1464), as per Champion Data.

Standing at 193cm, 'Scooter' had a versatility other key defenders lacked, allowing him to play on both opposition tall and small forwards.

Though he had a routine when it came to how he approached his direct match-ups, Thompson said it was the group surrounding him that enabled him to flourish in his role.

"It always involves the team around you," he told NMFC Media.

"When you know what your teammates are going to give you, it gives you that opportunity to come off your man to intercept."

Do your homework

While Thompson said he always let the situation determine his goal in the moment, that didn't mean he went into any game underprepared.

"You have to do your homework on each player you're going to play on," he said.

"Individually, you're researching the player and seeing what their strengths are and also finding out what their weaknesses are.

"In those years when you're playing on the number one forward as well, you know the ball is going to be targeted at your opponent.

"So instead of dwelling on that, you look at the opportunities you're going to have.

"You'll have access to the ball coming in and you start to think about how you can benefit from that and help the team … and that's not just halving the contest but winning it.

Back yourself to read the play best

A sign of a clever defender is knowing when to kill the play and when they're in the box seat to intercept and launch a lightning counter-attack.

Thompson was prolific not just in intercept possessions but in marks, too. In his dominant decade, he took 461 intercept grabs, displaying an expertise even the NFL's best cornerbacks and safeties would appreciate.

That only happened, he said, because he grew to understand his strongest skill.

"I kind of reviewed my game and thought 'What's my best asset?' he said.

"One of the things I thought I was really good at was reading the play and I always backed myself in to read the ball quicker than my opponent.

"If you can do that before your opponent, you're going to be in the best position to win the ball.

"That was probably the key thing going into games. Obviously, it depends on what your positioning is like, sometimes you just have to try and halve the contest, but if you can read the ball before your opponent, you can back yourself in to win the ball."

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