Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | (1953-10-10)10 October 1953 (age 72) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Five-eighth | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source:[1] As of 31 October 2019 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Alan Thompson (born 10 October 1953 inSydney,New South Wales) is an Australian former professionalrugby league footballer and coach. He played for theManly-Warringah Sea Eagles in theNew South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) competition from 1973 to 1984 and coached the club in 1989. He primarily played atFive-eighth.
Thompson was a localManly district junior fromNarrabeen, who could also play atHalfback or in theCentres. He was graded by the Sea Eagles in1973 and played in the club'sReserve Grade premiership win that year (the first grade team also won their second straight premiership in 1973). Thompson went on to play five-eighth in Manly's1976 Grand Final win overParramatta, and their1978 Grand Final win overCronulla.
After Manly's 1978 premiership, Thompson was selected for the1978 Kangaroo tour and made his test debut forAustralia from the bench in the secondAshes series test againstGreat Britain atBradford'sOdsal Stadium. Thompson played from the bench in the Kangaroos' 18–14 loss to the Lions, but retained his place for the deciding test atHeadingley where Australia won convincingly 23–6. He played another six tests in his career, with his last being the second test of the 1980 Trans-Tasman series againstNew Zealand atCarlaw Park inAuckland.
Thompson was selected to representNew South Wales as five-eighth on ten occasions, seven of which wereState of Origin matches. He played in the inaugural1980 game, the complete1982 series, games I and II of the1983 series and game I of the1984 series, the final year of his playing career.
At the time of his retirement in 1984, Thompson held the record for the most Manly club games: 263 with 62 tries and two field goals.
Thompson moved into coaching and took the Manly reserve grade side to the Grand Final in 1987 (losing toPenrith), before winning the Reserve Grade Grand Final in 1988. In1989, followingBob Fulton's appointment as Australian coach, Thompson was appointed as first grade coach but a turbulent and unsettled year within the club which saw1987 premiership and long serving Australian test playersDale Shearer,Noel Cleal and team captainPaul Vautin leave the club at season's end, led to a disappointing season for Thompson with Manly failing to make the finals and he was replaced at the end of the season by formerNew Zealand andWigan coachGraham Lowe.[2]