Sitting on the bench, ice on his groin. Helpless.

The loss to Wellington drew the curtain on Thompson's career for Newcastle at game 121.

In that time he has won a championship, played in four finals series and the Asian Champions League, wore the captain's armband and represented the Socceroos.

But that was of little consequence last night.

"It was terrible. I hated it," a gutted Thompson said after the match. "The fact I couldn't finish the game disappointed me more than anything."

The night had offered so much.

The captain had put the Jets ahead in the 20th minute with a quality finish.

But his goal was followed by two missed opportunities, chances he would normally bury.

He only needed to get a touch on a searching cross for Song Jin-hyung in the 40th minute, and missed an open goal with a volley at the back post in the 53rd.

"I know I scored the first goal, but I could have had a hat-trick and we should have won the game," he said.

"My first one, I didn't get a toe in. The effort was there, I knew what I wanted to do but the execution wasn't there.

"It let me down twice."

Thompson has signed a three-year deal with new club Melbourne Heart.

He is looking forward to the challenge of starting from scratch, but he had hoped to go out on a higher note with the Jets.

"I honestly thought today we could have done something," he said. "It's frustrating that I played a big part in that. You miss a couple of opportunities and then come off. You feel helpless.

"You can see the boys are tiring and you can't do anything. It is not a good thing."

When Thompson announced he was headed to the Heart, some questioned his commitment to the cause.

There were even calls for him to give up the captaincy.

They should have known better.

Like he has done since day one, Thompson continued to give his all.

In fact, he has taken his game to a new level. Last night was another example of how much the Jets will miss his versatility and heart.