Andrew Charles Thompson (born 21 October 1972) is a retired

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

er for the St Kilda Football Club in the

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling the laws of the gam ...

. Thompson was recruited in the

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

AFL Draft The Australian Football League draft is the annual draft of unsigned players, especially new nominations, by Australian rules football teams that participate in the main competition of that sport, the Australian Football League (AFL). History ...

at pick no 62 and was picked up from the

VAFA The Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA) is the largest senior community Australian rules football competition in Victoria. It consists of seven senior men's and women's divisions ranging from Premier to Division 4. In addition there ...

club Old Melburnians. At the time of his recruitment Thompson was 24 years of age, relatively old for an AFL footballer to begin his career. Thompson later said that being recruited at a late age allowed him to become more travelled and worldly than other footballers who begin their careers at 17 or 18 years of age. Thompson quickly established himself in the St Kilda line-up in 1997, missing only two games (in Rounds 2 and 3) and playing every game from Round 4 onwards, including St Kilda's loss in the

Grand Final Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final (sometimes colloquially abbreviated to "grannie") is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. Sy ...

. Thompson played in 20 of 22 matches in the 1997 AFL Premiership Season home and away rounds in which St Kilda Football Club qualified in first position for the 1997 AFL Finals Series, winning the club's 2nd Minor Premiership and 1st McClelland Trophy. Thompson was noted for his hard work ethic and consistency and this led to him winning the 1999 Channel 7 Player of the Year Award. His outstanding and consistent form also earned him a

Trevor Barker Award The Trevor Barker Award is an Australian rules football award for the player voted the St Kilda Football Club best and fairest player during the home and away season in the Australian Football League by a voting panel. The St Kilda Best & Fair ...

for St Kilda's Best and Fairest player in 2000. Despite a dismal year for the Saints, when they finished last, Thompson continued toiling and was a shining light in an otherwise disappointing side. Thompson played in St Kilda's

2004 Wizard Home Loans Cup The 2004 Wizard Home Loans Cup was the Australian Football League competition played in its entirety before the Australian Football League's 2004 Premiership Season began. The AFL National Cup is also sometimes referred to as the pre-season cup ...

winning side – St Kilda's second AFL Cup win. Thompson signed a one-year contract with the Saints for the 2006 season and was part of a veteran group with

Justin Peckett Justin Peckett (born 5 October 1972) is an Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League (AFL). Picked up by the St Kilda Football Club, St Kilda Saints as an impressive 16-year-old, Peckett won the St Kilda under-19s' best and ...

and Stephen Powell who signed on for one last shot at a premiership. He made a solid contribution for the season, and new coach

Ross Lyon Ross Lyon (born 8 November 1966) is a former Australian rules football player and the senior coach of the St Kilda Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He previously coached St Kilda from 2007 to 2011 and the Fremantle Footbal ...

signed him up for one last time at the beginning of the 2007 year. In his last season, Thompson battled injury and fitness issues, but managed 10 matches for the Saints. He farewelled the football world on 1 September, playing his final game on the MCG against Richmond. Fellow Saint

Fraser Gehrig Fraser Gehrig (born 3 March 1976) is a retired Australian rules footballer who played for the St Kilda Football Club and the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL) . Gehrig was a versatile player during his AFL career, begi ...

also announced his retirement, and both players were chaired off the ground. Thompson has worked part-time in the finance and business world since 2004.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Andrew 1972 births People educated at Melbourne Grammar School Living people Trevor Barker Award winners St Kilda Football Club players St Kilda Football Club administrators Old Melburnians Football Club players Victorian State of Origin players Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state)