Luke Thompson given four-week ban for eye gouge

England international Luke Thompson has been given a four-week ban after being found guilty of an eye gouge.

The 25-year-old former St Helens prop, who is in his first season with NRL club Canterbury Bulldogs, denied the charge when he appeared in front of a judiciary panel in Sydney on Tuesday.

Thompson was placed on report following a complaint by Penrith captain James Tamou during Canterbury’s 42-0 defeat at the ANZ Stadium on Saturday and referred to the judiciary by the NRL match review committee.

Tamou said after the match he believed the gouge was not intentional and hoped “nothing comes of it” and Thompson engaged the services of well-known legal expert Nick Ghabar to fight his case.

Thompson’s ban will be carried over into the 2021 season.