Leeds Rhinos forward Bodene Thompson says he will be guided by his family as to whether he looks to stay at the club beyond this season.
The New Zealand-born star arrived at Headingley, initially on loan, from Toronto Wolfpack in August 2020 before signing a permanent deal until the end of the 2022 campaign.
He has an option on his contract to stay for another season but is unsure as to where his future lies beyond this year.
The 33-year-old told Rugby League Live: “I’ll see what my family situation is because we had twins last year.
“If my wife says she wants to go home with our young family, then I’m very much happy with whatever she wants to do.
“I could still go around for another year or two if I wanted to because my body is feeling sweet at the moment.
“But I’m at that point in my life now where my family comes first.
“If my missus said she wanted to go home tomorrow, I’d happily do it, although she hasn’t said anything yet.
“She loves it here but I’m at that stage where, if she did say she wanted to go home, then that’s what we’d do.
“If she said ‘let’s stay for one more year’ then I’ll either be staying at Leeds next season or playing for a contract elsewhere.
“I’ll hopefully finish this year off strongly and see what happens. But we’re settled here and we do love living in England.”
The majority of Thompson’s wider family members are based on the Gold Coast in Australia, which is where he will likely relocate to at some point.
He said: “I don’t think I’d even play footie any more if I went back home.
“I’ve had my time in the NRL, although I’d never say never because my body is still feeling really good like I say.
“I can still train every day during the week and play at the weekend. Physically, I feel good.”
Thompson has career options beyond rugby league when he hangs up his boots.
He explained: “I haven’t delved into it too much but a lot of male family members work in the mines.
“My step-dad is the head of several mines all over Australia and my brother-in-law is also in a top job at another mine, plus both my little brothers work under them as well.
“I could go back tomorrow and earn three times the amount of money I’m earning now.
“My brother-in-law is earning six and a half thousand Aussie dollars a week – sat behind a desk writing out permits in the mines!
“I could go and do something similar, or even have a crack at running my own business.
“My family moved from New Zealand to Australia 15 years ago with no money whatsoever.
“But they have done really well and now my parents have got three houses, jet-skis, Harley Davidson and big 70,000-dollar boats.
“As an Aussie, working in the mines is somewhere you can really get ahead.
“In terms of my own future, we’ll see what happens as this year unfolds. Right now, my main focus is on playing well for the Rhinos.”
