Sea Eagles swoop on Dragons backrower

RUGBY LEAGUE: The on-again, off-again saga of Joel Thompson joining the Sea Eagles is finally over with the veteran backrower gaining a release from the Dragons and heading to Brookvale on a two-year deal.

Thompson admitted in a video released by the club yesterday that it was an “emotional day” moving on after four years with the Dragons.

“It is going to be really tough leaving such a great club. The staff, the players, the fans have been unbelievable to me and I can’t thank them enough,” he said. “It was a tough decision but with three little girls, a young family, I had to make that decision.”

Thompson had one year still to run on his deal with St George-Illawarra but the Dragons confirmed they had decided to release the veteran, effective immediately.

“It was apparent Joel was looking to secure a long-term contract for his family beyond 2018,” Dragons spokesman Ian Millward said.

Manly head coach Trent Barrett said Thompson, who has played 174 NRL games for the Canberra Raiders and Dragons, would be a welcome addition to his player stocks.

“Joel is a player I have admired for a long time. I coached him in the Country team a couple of years ago,” Barrett said.

“Not only is Joel a terrific bloke and a terrific leader but he is extremely competitive and very tough. He is a professional.

“Joel has played plenty of first grade and his experience is something I thought our squad needed. Not only will the team benefit from it but also a lot of our young individuals will benefit too from having someone like Joel around.”

Thompson will be favoured to win a starting jersey for the Sea Eagles and will likely complete a back row that will also include Curtis Sironen and Jake Trbojevic.