Bomber: A Football Life with Mark Thompson

Mark ‘Bomber’ Thompson might have devoted his career – and much of his life – to a team sport, but he’s always been suspicious of pack mentality. ‘I hate group-think’, he’s said. ‘It’s just not my style. I have never been part of any boy’s club in footy. I have been independent going right back to my youth.’

Perhaps it’s this headstrong, independent mindset that has enabled Thompson to play a uniquely influential role in Australian Rules football over three decades. He played more than 200 games for Essendon in the eighties and nineties and has been instrumental in five premierships: three as a player at Essendon, two at Geelong as coach. Thompson returned to Essendon in 2010, taking the reigns from James Hird as senior coach in 2014 following the supplements saga.

Having left the club at the end of that season, Thompson has taken some time to reflect on his 34 years in the game. His book, Bomber: The Whole Story, gives an insight into playing and coaching Australian Rules at the highest levels. In conversation with Karen Lyon, Thompson will discuss the highs and lows of his career, the personal cost of senior coaching, the supplements scandal and the future of Australian Rules football.