Thompson was found dead in his Caringbah unit in the early hours of Friday's morning, with the cause of death yet to be determined.

The flame-haired workhorse earned a cult following among the red v faithful, racking up 201 games for the club over 10 seasons, three of them alongside McGregor after the Dragons and Steelers formed the St George Illawarra joint-venture ahead of the 1999 season.

Speaking on Saturday morning ahead of his side's clash with Canterbury on Sunday, an emotional McGregor admitted that he was still coming to terms with the loss of his good mate at just 40 years of age.

“It's been a tough 36 hours, I found out pretty early,” McGregor said.

“We only shared texts on Sunday. [They're] tragic circumstances. Big T was a good man, one of the most committed players I've seen take the football field.

“He was a strong character, he played with passion and purpose. We'll go out tomorrow and play for Thommo because the red v meant so much to him and we need to honour that.”