Gold Coast link surprise for Thompson
Onballer Scott Thompson says he doesn't know where reports linking him with Gold Coast have come from
Thompson is one of several Crows, including All-Australian Nathan Bock and emerging midfielder Patrick Dangerfield, believed to be on the Gold Coast’s radar.
The 27-year-old South Australian sought a trade from former club Melbourne back to Adelaide in 2004 and said negotiations to remain at West Lakes were already underway.
“It’s been quite a surprise some of the stuff that has been said in the paper and I don’t know where it’s come from. The club and my manager have spoken,” Thompson said on Tuesday.
“I’m very comfortable with where my contract is at. Contracts do take time and I’m sure something will happen eventually.”
There have been reports that some uncontracted Crows have put off talks with the club until the end of the season when the futures of star players including Andrew McLeod and Brett Burton become clear.
However Thompson denied he’d put a time-frame on his own negotiations.
“If the right deal gets done I’m more than happy to get a contract done [before the end of the season],” Thompson said.
“We sit back and laugh at what gets written sometimes. There are a lot of names being thrown around [for Gold Coast]. It seems to me that if you’re out of contract you’re in the mix.”
McLeod’s future in the game has been clouded by the recurrence of a pre-existing knee injury.
The dual premiership player and Norm Smith medallist had arthroscopic surgery on his knee on Tuesday and is likely to be sidelined until after the mid-season break.
The 33-year-old needs to play every home-and-away game this season to become the first Crow to play 350 AFL games.
Thompson said McLeod was unfazed by missing out on the remarkable achievement.
“It would be great for Andrew to get to it, but if he doesn’t I think he’s achieved enough in the game,” Thompson said.
The Crows will be forced to make three changes at the selection table for the game against Hawthorn at Aurora Stadium on Saturday, with McLeod [knee], Phil Davis [shoulder/concussion] and retired champion Tyson Edwards all going out of the side.
Midfielder Brad Symes, who has recovered from a nagging knee injury, is likely to take one of those spots, while Bock is also pushing for a recall.
Bock missed Edwards’ farewell game with a groin strain, but Thompson said he expected the centre half-back to return to the side to stand Hawks forward Lance Franklin this weekend.
“Franklin is a fair player, but hopefully we’ll get Nathan Bock back in the side. He trained well today, so I’m tipping that he’ll line up on the weekend,” he said.
“Bocky is a very important player. He defends well. He is strong in the air and he creates a lot of run and drive out of the back half.”
Thompson, who has also struggled with injury this season, played his best game of the year against Fremantle last weekend and said it was important for both he and the team to back up with another four-quarter performance against the Hawks.
“It was a big game and it was great to see Tyson bow out that way… but to say that [Edwards’ farewell] was the reason we performed that way would be wrong,” he said.
“Since the last quarter of the North Melbourne game we’ve put some good quarters together. We put four quarters together on the weekend against a quality side and the challenge now is to reproduce that.”