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Mark Thompson

Playing Career
Essendon: 202 games, 50 gls

Coaching Career
Geelong: Senior Coach 2000-
Nth Melb: Asst Coach 1999
Essendon: Asst Coach 1996-98

Mark Thompson will forever be known as the coach that ended the Cats 44 year premiership drought. In leading Geelong to the 2007 and 2009 premierships, Thompson entered the record books as just the seventh man to both captain and coach premiership teams.

He has twice been named as coach of the year by his peers (2007 and 2008) and was All Australian coach in 2007 and 2009.

Thompson also led the Cats back to the grand final in 2008, dropping only one game along the way.

Mark also coached the Victorian team to a win in the 2008 all star contest at the MCG.

He was named as senior coach of the Geelong Football Club in September 1999, and he has helped transform the club over his 10 years at the helm.

In addition to the two AFL premierships, he coached the club to the 2006 and 2009 NAB Cup titles and has led the club to the finals in five of the past six years, while at the same time completely overhauling the playing list. Only Matthew Scarlett, Darren Milburn and David Wojcinski remain from the playing list that Thompson inherited. Thompson’s 235 games sees him rank as the second longest tenured coach in club history, and his 143 wins are also second most by a Geelong coach.

Thompson is one of only five men to have played 200 games with one club and coached 200 games with another club. The others are Kevin Sheedy, Leigh Matthews, David Parkin and Percy Bentley. He is a life member of the AFL as his combined games as a player and coach surpassed 300. Mark began his coaching career immediately upon his retirement as a player in 1996.

Mark replaced Mark Williams as coach of Essendon reserves when Williams went back to Port Adelaide. He took the Bombers to the grand final and repeated the feat in 1998. He moved to Arden Street in 1999 as an assistant and reserves coach working with Denis Pagan. The Kangaroos won the AFL premiership, with the grand final serving as Mark’s last day as a member of the Roos. He compiled a 37-38 record in his three and a half seasons coaching AFL reserves, working with a myriad of players.

COACHING RECORD

Year
Club
League
Pl
W
L
D
For
Ag
Pos
1996
ESS
AFL res
12
8
4
0


2nd
1997
ESS
AFL res
20
4
16
0


10th
1998
ESS
AFL res
23
18
5
0


2nd
1999
NM
AFL res
20
7
13
0


8th
2000
GEEL
AFL
23
12
10
1
2317
2398
7th
2001
GEEL
AFL
22
9
13
0
1926
2054
12th
2002
GEEL
AFL
22
11
11
0
1933
2029
9th
2003
GEEL
AFL
22
7
14
1
1819
2025
12th
2004
GEEL
AFL
25
16
9
0
2299
2006
4th
2005
GEEL
AFL
24
13
10
0
2303
2023
5th
2006
GEEL
AFL
22
10
11
1
1982
2002
10th
2007
GEEL
AFL
25
21
4
0
2953
1845
1st
2008 GEEL AFL 25 23 2 0 2963 1881 2nd
2009
GEEL
AFL
25
21
4
0
2608
2012
1st
AFL total     235 143 89 3 23103 20275  

PLAYING CAREER

Thompson marked himself as one of Essendon's all-time greats over a 202 game career at Windy Hill.

Thompson was a member of three premiership teams, 1984, 1985 and 1993, and captained the Bombers to their 93 flag. He also played in three night triumphs and the 1983 reserves grand final win.

He twice earned All Australian honours and won two best & fairest awards. Thompson was named in Essendon’s team of the century and was also named as the Bombers’ 20th greatest player of all-time.

Thompson's first day of training with Essendon under 19s coincided with Kevin Sheedy's first training session as Essendon coach. Thompson progressed from the under 19s to the reserves and made his senior debut in the opening round of the 1983 season, a one point loss to Sydney at the SCG.

He established himself as a senior player in 1984 and remained as an integral member of the one of the AFL's best teams until he retired in 1996.

Thompson kicked 50 goals in his 202 game career.

Yr Club Gms Kicks HB Marks Poss Gls Beh B'low
1983 ESS 2 22 10 3 32 1 1 0
1984 ESS 20 203 136 67 339 4 2 0
1985 ESS 23 254 183 73 437 5 5 1
1986 ESS 22 247 192 93 439 2 1 6
1987 ESS 18 217 131 75 348 16 9 4
1989 ESS 10 134 76 40 210 0 1 3
1990 ESS 24 321 198 114 519 7 8 3
1991 ESS 9 106 58 35 164 6 3 0
1992 ESS 21 300 169 81 469 5 2 1
1993 ESS 21 330 180 91 510 2 0 5
1994 ESS 13 140 84 51 224 1 1 0
1995 ESS 11 99 65 32 164 0 2 0
1996 ESS 8 84 42 37 126 1 1 0
Total   202 2457 1524 792 3981 50 36 23

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