BUOYED by a breakout rookie season and recent Maori All Stars appearance, Knights prop Leo Thompson hopes to take his game to new heights in 2023.
A virtual unknown this time last year before making a shock debut in round one, Thompson became a regular on Newcastle's bench last season until injury ended his 16-game campaign early.
The rugby union convert, who spent time at the Raiders before linking with the Knights, emerged as a hard-running, if a bit naive, forward last season.
A torn hamstring was all that stopped him from notching more appearances, but the run of games and a contract extended until the end of 2025, has the 22-year-old primed for even more improvement.
"I was happy with my season," Thompson told the Newcastle Herald, ahead of the season-opener against the Warriors on Friday.
"I'm just keen to come into this year with a bit more confidence. Last year I was playing the way they wanted me to play so I could make the team each week, where this year I feel like because I've played a few games now I can kind of put my signature on the way I want to play.
"That's the biggest difference this year, I'm more comfortable around training and I can have a bit more of a say, and ball-play a bit more - I'm getting a bit of freedom to do that type of stuff."
Born in Gisborne but mostly raised in Napier - both on the east coast of New Zealand's north island - Thompson was a late inclusion to the Maori side for the All Stars fixture this month.
It came as a surprise with the prop initially thinking the call from Maori staff was a "gee up", but it was a goal he had been hoping to achieve.
Thompson is from two Maori iwi, which he describes as "villages" but is often translated to tribes.
The Ngai Tamanuhiri, on his mum's side, covers the area where Thompson spent his early years. The Ngati Rangiwewehi, on his dad's side, includes Rotorua where the All Stars was played.
Culture has been a rich part of Thompson's life, so much so that he attended a dedicated Maori school until age 10, moving to a common school to learn English.
"I couldn't read or write English until I was 11 years old," he revealed.
The All Stars week proved a "career highlight" for Thompson.
"I loved it," he said.
"Just being around the boys and most of the week was based around culture.
"We might have trained twice. The main focus was on culture and gelling together.
"It was a proud moment for me and my family. I got to see a lot of family on the sidelines and for some of them it was their first time watching me play league live. I had about 40 [relatives] there."
Thompson has tried to bring his All Stars learnings back to the Knights, saying it was a real eye-opener playing with Penrith enforcer James Fisher-Harris and Canberra prop Joseph Tapine.
"How they prep for games and the intensity they take into training is something I've taken away," he said.
"Getting a chance to train with 'Fish' - the way he carries himself and the energy he puts off, you can see his mindset in the way he trains."
WHAT DO YOU THINK? Join the discussion in the comment section below.
Find out how to register or become a subscriber here.
