Never has an NRL referees' appointment been more apt than Henry Perenara's at Kogarah this Sunday for St George Illawarra's clash with Canterbury.
A former teammate of Lance Thompson at both the Dragons and Cronulla, Perenara was left shocked by the 40-year-old's death on Thursday night inside his Sydney home.
Referees appointments were handed out on Tuesday, but by chance Perenara was given the game that will now be dedicated to remembering and celebrating Thompson's life and contribution to the club.
Dragons players will wear black armbands in Thompson's honour - as will the Sharks against Newcastle on the same day - while there will also be a minute's silence and tribute before the match.
Perenara is privileged to share the moment.
"I'm pretty touched I get to do that," Perenara told AAP.
"I was a very small part of Thommo's life and I'm very lucky to say I was a teammate with him and then regarded him as a friend.
"I'm a very small part of that and I'm very lucky and honoured to referee the game this week at Kogarah where he is St George, the Dragons."
Perenara was just two years younger than Thompson when he arrived at the Dragons in 2003, but by that point the red-headed cult hero had already played more than 140 NRL games.
They spent two seasons together at the Dragons, before being reunited at Cronulla in 2007.
"He was just one of those people who demanded respect," Perenara said.
"If you look at some of the people who were at the Dragons, we had Trent Barrett, Jason Ryles, Luke Bailey, Shaun Timmins and Mark Gasnier there.
"But Lance Thompson was St George Illawarra or the Dragons at the time. That's the way I looked up to him."
This weekend's round will be studded with tributes to Thompson, who played 239 games between 1995 and 2008.
Ricky Stuart often spoke highly of his reliability when he coached him at Cronulla, while Paul McGregor, Shane Flanagan and Barrett are among others to have played with or coached him.
A dedicated trainer on the paddock who was able to mix boxing with rugby league, Thompson was also remembered as a larrikin off it by teammates.
"Every time we used to win and we were on a bus trip he'd always get up the front with a microphone and sing a couple of songs," former Dragon Matt Cooper said.
"Sometimes he told some crap stories and I always laughed along to make it funnier. I always had his back, and he had mine.
"That's the type of person he was and it was just like that on the field."
Share
