The defender was widely tipped to take out the full back position and he says being acknowledged as one of the best is reward for years of hard work.
“I still pinch myself... Six years ago I was working at Macca’s and just playing local footy. Things have changed in the six years I’ve been at the club and it’s still sinking in,” Thompson told NMFC.com.au.
“It was an amazing feeling (becoming an All-Australian), there was a lot of speculation with people saying I was going to make it, but it was a great honour when I eventually found out.”
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Thompson says he’s in awe of the company he was named alongside and admits it hasn’t been easy to get to this position.
“I was sitting at the end so I could see down the whole table at the calibre of awesome players. It was great to be seated amongst them and named in the team along-side them.
“Obviously it’s been a lot of hard work. I’ve been working on my consistency and trying not to have those bad games and particularly working hard on my defensive skills to shut down my opponents.”
The only thing missing for Thompson was the opportunity to share his achievement with Lindsay Thomas, Daniel Wells and Todd Goldstein - all overlooked by the selectors.
“I thought all three of them were very unlucky. Lindsay as a small forward but also Goldy who has had an awesome couple of years and Wellsy’s second half of the year was the best I’ve seen of any player in the competition.” Thompson said.
“They all were well deserving of selection and I was really disappointed for them. It would have been great to celebrate with some of my teammates but hopefully they continue on and next year, they get in.”
Receiving the news of his selection a week early, Thompson had to keep his achievement secret until the night of the event which wasn’t easy.
“I told my wife Lauren but I didn’t tell anyone else in the family, I thought I would keep it a surprise for them and make them watch it on TV.
“Mum rung me last night and she sounded a bit emotional but she was very proud of me. I play footy to make sure I get the respect of my family and they were happy for me.”
Although the individual accolades are encouraging, Thompson’s burning desire for team success is what he desires most.
“I was pretty jealous looking down that table and most of the guys had played finals this year or were still playing finals. It’s disappointing when you see that, you obviously want your team to succeed and that’s what you play footy for, to win a premiership.
“I reckon we’ve got a good future ahead of us and especially next year, we should have a better season.”
