Titan Bodene won't back down
TITANS wrecking ball Bodene Thompson has vowed not to change his aggressive style despite already being charged by the NRL twice in three games this season.
Thompson was this week slapped with a three-match ban for his latest indiscretion against the Raiders.
This means he will be watching from his lounge room as the Coast do battle with the Cowboys in Townsville on Saturday and will also miss crunch games against the Storm and Dragons.
The jolting hit on Canberra rake, Travis Waddell, left the young hooker with a broken jaw in two places and the Raiders camp seething.
But the boom young prop said he would not tone down his natural game for fear of future suspension.
"I have been working a lot with Gilly (Titans defence coach and Origin great Trevor Gillmeister) and my technique has already changed a lot," said Thompson, who was also cited for late contact with Warriors fullback Lance Hohaia in Round 1.
"It is just the way i tackle. I used to bring my arm up a fair bit so I have got better.
"You have just got to get on with it and that is what I am going to do."
The bruising Keebra Park product played three NRL games for the club last season and was just starting to find his feet in first grade, even keeping Luke Bailey's regular front row partner Michael Henderson out of the side at the weekend.
While the rest of his teammates yesterday ran ball work on the training paddock, Thompson was relegated to the rehabilitation squad.
There are no guarantees either from coach John Cartwright that he would walk straight back into the side when his three weeks are up.
"That is my biggest issue," said Thompson.
"I finally got my start in a few games and was just starting to feel comfortable. So it sucks to be a step behind again.
"But it will just make me work harder and train my way back into the squad."
Thompson's natural aggression is a valued commodity by the Titans and Cartwright yesterday refused to make any apologies for the 21-year-old hitman's style.
"That is just Bo, he goes in hard," said Cartwright.
"I didn't have much of an issue with the tackle.
"If it occurred two or three years ago it would have been fully legal.
"I suppose there was accidental contact with the head but there was nothing intentional.
"It is unfortunate sometimes that the rule makers don't see that there are accidents in the game."
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