Ex-St Helens and Super League forward Luke Thompson’s horrendous injury

eLuke Thompson has been doing it tough in the NRL for the past few seasons.

But, after suffering multiple injuries, it has been concussion which has ravaged his 2022 season with the Canterbury Bulldogs more than anything.

That has forced the former St Helens enforcer to sit out a number of games in a bid to get himself right.

“It’s been a tough couple of months for me, probably the toughest of my life,” Thompson told the Sydney Morning Herald.

“For the first few weeks, it was pretty bad,” he continued.

“I had headaches and I didn’t want to go out of the house some days because my head was banging.

“I remember the week after the [Dragons] game, the week after we had Penrith and that was the week the doctor told me to sit out because I still had symptoms.

“It was a night game, the full lights were on and there was the crowd. I sat there and I couldn’t even watch the game, my head was just banging.”

Thompson has also opened up on the hardships throughout his NRL career so far – despite only joining midway through 2020.

“The first year there was the Covid stuff, there was no training and straight into it. The second year I missed nine games with suspension – I played in the Super League for nine years and didn’t miss one through suspension. That was tough.

“The year after I played every game up until round 12 and then obviously had this.

“I don’t know if it was the one head knock, I had a number of things. It was a tough start to the year. It was a build up of things.

“I got a couple of knocks in round one against Melbourne, I got one a week later, then I broke my toe and then got that flu that was around for a while, then I got diarrhoea for a week. Then I got my neck crushed and then there was the week I felt it was when I got the head knock against Tigers. It’s been something every week.

“I just had one of those starts to the year. It’s definitely been tough but it’s all done. The Bulldogs seem to be going in the right direction and I want to show them what I can do.”

That will be music to Canterbury fans’ ears who have come to love and appreciate the forward after a slow start.