But although the top Cat said nothing that would incur the wrath of the AFL, he left no-one in any doubt what he thought of Matt Stevic’s call to penalise Cameron Mooney and deny Cameron Ling the winning goal against a desperate St Kilda.
"You write whatever you want to write, and write the truth about that last incident, that's all I'll say," Thompson said.
"I don't want to risk any fines, I'm not going to say anything about the umpires. I'm sorry, I can't.
"I didn't pick up that (Stevic) had pulled it back. We were starting to set up (after the goal) and I just didn't realise (the free kick had been paid).
"I was quite amazed. To see all the players go up and the crowd go up, and we were thinking, 'What are we going to do with a minute left in the game?'
“Then it was, 'How did this happen?', and I saw the replay and it was history."
Mooney’s protestation to Stevic immediately after his tackle in the back of James Gwilt was more clear, telling the official “You just cost us the game, you know that don’t you”.
But just as crucial according to Thompson was Geelong’s below par, which cannot be replicated if the Cats want to progress.
"I said 'the next game we play, we better make sure that if you're not prepared to play well from the start then don't turn up and play for this club', and I meant it," Thompson said.
"You see the boys jumping in late in the game when they were a chance to win and be really desperate, we want people to be desperate at the start of the match."
St Kilda coach Ross Lyon said his side deserved the victory, although he admitted they were fortunate in the end.
"I thought as the play unfolded, I thought there was a free kick there, no doubt about that, but they don't (often) get paid," Lyon said.
"I wasn't sure if it had been paid or not, it was a tough night for everybody, umpires and both teams, and you always need a little bit of luck after you've worked your hardest and I thought we worked incredibly hard.
"I think in the end from my side of things we did a lot right to be able to say we were deserved victors."
Geelong midfielder Joel Corey said the Cats lost to the Saints in the first half, not the final minute.
"It's not just that (decision which decided the game)," said Corey.
"In the first half, we didn't start playing until we fell behind and you don't win games of football like that."
St Kilda led by as much as 33 points in the third quarter before Geelong launched their comeback at the MCG with their familiar brand of play-on football.
The loss now pitches them into a cut-throat semi-final next Friday night against either Hawthorn or Fremantle back at the MCG.
And if they are to claim a third flag in four years, the Cats will need to win three finals on the trot.
"We've just got to do it the hard way now," said Corey.
"We've got full confidence with the boys.
"It's not ideal but that's what we've got to do."
"We know that if we play the style of footy we played in the second half for four quarters we can win games of football."
with AAP