LESS than two months before he returns to court to face drug trafficking charges, former Geelong coach Mark Thompson was a surprise attendee at the 10th anniversary celebration of the Cats' 2009 AFL premiership.

Thompson made a low-key arrival at GMHBA Stadium on Sunday for the function ahead of the clash between Geelong and West Coast.

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But he did not join 10 members of the 2009 flag-winning team in doing a lap of honour before the game.

Four members of the 2009 team – Joel Selwood, Gary Ablett, Tom Hawkins and Harry Taylor – were playing against the Eagles and several others are now on the Cats' coaching staff.

Thompson coached the Cats in 260 games from 2000-10, including the 2007 and 2009 premiership triumphs.

He quit at the end of the 2010 season, before moving to Essendon.

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He spent one season as Essendon's head coach in 2014 at the height of the club's supplements scandal.

In January last year, Thompson's Port Melbourne house was raided by police, who allegedly found a locked box containing banned drugs.

In a mention in the case stemming from three charges of drug trafficking and four counts of drug possession at the Melbourne Magistrates Court in April, Thompson's lawyer Peter Matthews said his client was ready to proceed to a contested hearing on June 24.