The big Cat's fiery approach often reaches boiling point when he lines up against his former club.
Mooney, a member of North Melbourne's 1999 premiership side, looked to set to explode when he remonstrated with Thompson in the second quarter.
He refrained as the young Roo stood his ground, but tensions remained for the rest of the clash with Mooney finding his way to a career-high seven goals.
"It was a really good experience to play on someone of that stature," Thompson said on Tuesday.
"He was getting pretty angry but that's what defenders should be doing, just niggling away. I trained with him a few times down at Geelong, but [I'm] just trying to be a good defender.
"[My performance] wasn't that good. I let a few contests go and he got a few goals on me, so I was pretty disappointed in the end."
But in just his fourth game, the 22-year-old showed enough needle to highlight his continued improvement.
A mature age draftee, he was a key member of Geelong's VFL side that capped a dominant 2007 with a flag, and the Kangaroos could look no further when he was available at selection 37.
Thompson made his debut against Essendon in round one and featured in the round six draw with Sydney and the loss to Adelaide the week after.
"It's nowhere compared to an AFL game but [being part of the premiership has] given me some experience, I think," he said.
"It's been really good for me. I enjoy it heaps, the AFL. [It's] a lot quicker, harder bodies, not as many contests though. The ball movement is that quick."
Now, with opportunities available, Thompson will work to hold his place in the side and in the contest.
"It was only my fourth game so hopefully [I can] just get a bit stronger and work harder this week, concentrate on the things I did wrong," he said.
