Bodene Thompson drops hint on Leeds Rhinos future

Bodene Thompson has been in the UK for four seasons after moving to the Leigh Centurions in 2018.

From there, he has had spells at Warrington Wolves, Toronto Wolfpack and now Leeds Rhinos. But, his UK stay could be about to end.

Thompson, in an interview, with Now To Love magazine, confirmed that him and his partner, Kaea, would be reuniting with family at the end of the season in their native New Zealand.

“When we moved over here and had the kids, we never thought we’d not be able to come back,” he said. “It’s just us and my sister over here, and we want them to grow up with all of their family around them. Whether it’s for good or not, we’re not sure yet. But we’re excited to come home!”

After a recent health scare with son, Reinus, they cannot wait to get back home. “It gave us a huge fright,” says Kaea. “He had some unexplained seizures and they thought it might be meningitis, but he’s fine now.”

“There’s definitely been some crying down the end of the phone,” Bodene added. “Family really is everything. My mum has been able to come over to help, which was awesome – she just rang us one day to tell us she’d quit her job and she’d be here in two weeks. She just wanted to be with her moko.”

Whether or not this will be permanent remains to be seen, but homesickness is always a major player in families’ thoughts.