John Hopoate

Tongan-born Campbelltown junior originally grew up in the Manly area before moving to Sydney’s Western Suburbs as a teenager. Former club coach Bob Fulton remembered the promising winger from Hopoate’s junior career and recruited him back to Manly where he represented NSW U’19s. Hopoate was an obvious talent on the wing, taking a lot of pressure off his forwards with his fearlessly hard-running style, but his early grade career was marked by an on-field arrogance that detracted from his ability. In 1995 he made his debut for NSW in Melbourne but was dropped for the third match of the series after an unhappy game. Hopoate continued his sledging tactics all the way to the grand final that year but the Sea Eagles came up second best against a more committed C’bury team. Tonga looked set to snare Hopoate and Jim Dymock for the World Cup that year until Australian selectors took no chances at the height of the Super League war and named both players in their squad. A Hopoate error proved the turning point in the 20-16 loss against Great Britain in the opening match of competition but it was not enough to deter an under-strength Australian team from an extraordinary victory in the final (Hopoate scored three tries in the 86-6 win over South Africa in a preliminary Test but did not play in the final). The following year the hard-running flankman savoured grand final victory against St George after scoring the opening try of the match but could not help himself in the 1997 decider, patting Newcastle fullback Robbie O’Davis on the head after crashing over for a try. (A fired-up O’Davis returned serve by scoring two tries and earning ‘man of the match’ honours in Newcastle’s grand final win). After being fined by the Manly club for off-field misbehaviour in early 1999 it was only the intervention of his team-mates that prevented him from being sacked from the club after he turned up drunk to a training session. Hopoate was dropped to First Division for 8 weeks, heavily fined and ordered to seek counselling. Signing with the newly formed W’Tigers in 2000, Hopoate brought a lot of his experience to the young club but was involved in a series of niggling on-field incidents late in the year. (In one match, against Melbourne, he was charged with ‘contrary conduct’ concerning ten separate incidents in the game). In an effort to unsettle opposing players in 2001 Hopoate resorted to inserting his finger in their backsides. The revelation of such tactics left the Tigers with no option but to sack him but, after a period of public humiliation, he returned to Manly’s first division team and actually finished the year in the N’Eagles top grade. At Manly in 2003 he broke his ankle late in the year but proved old habits die hard when he was stood down from the club when his attitude was not up to scratch the following year. However, the club offered Hopoate a lifeline with a one-year contract but he was suspended for a high-tackle on a North Queensland opponent and his rugby league career was finished. Hopoate made a successful start to his professional heavyweight boxing career in 2006.