Former St Helens forward Luke Thompson’s future could be in jeopardy due to his COVID-19 stance.
Thompson had been linked with a move away from the Canterbury Bulldogs earlier in the year, with the club willing to let the prop go until a change of commitment ended speculation that the Englishman would leave.
However, Thompson’s future has now been called into question once more due to his anti-vaccination stance that has rankled the Canterbury club.
Channel 9’s Danny Weidler revealed in the Sydney Morning Herald: “He has been butting aheads with the Bulldogs management about COVID vaccination.
“He has told them a number of times that he does not want to be vaccinated.
“He didn’t even want to wear a mask in Brisbane when players were required to do so after the competition was relocated to Queensland.”
The Bulldogs hierarchy have issued a notice that Bulldogs need to be double-vaccinated in time for the club’s return to pre-season training on November 1.
Thompson is the first NRL player to publicly refuse the vaccine – a refusal which comes after the NRL spoke out against mandating a vaccine for its stars.