Bulldogs want to bring Thompson in a year early

The Canterbury Bulldogs are reportedly looking to bring star signing Luke Thompson to the club a year earlier than planned.

Thompson has signed a three-year deal with the club from 2021, but Canterbury are hopeful that they can secure an early release from his contract with St Helens.

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Bulldogs chief executive Andrew Hill is keen to bring in the powerful front-rower “as soon as possible”.

“We’re looking at what’s happening in Super League and what opportunities they may be to bring Luke here as early as possible,” Hill said.

“There’s lots of hurdles for us to overcome at this stage and there has been no real progress on that opportunity.”

Super League chief executive Robert Elstone said last week that the competition was aiming for a mid-August restart, with the UK government giving contact sport the green light on Monday.

The NRL restarts tomorrow and could have played nearly two months of action before Super League resumes, which could tempt Thompson over early.