![]() Jerome Ropati playing for the New Zealand Warriors
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Personal information
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Full name | Jerome Piper Leitu Ropati | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born |
Auckland, New Zealand |
23 November 1984 ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 176 cm (5 ft 9 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 94 kg (14 st 11 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information
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Position | Centre, Five-eighth | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Jerome Ropati (born 23 November 1984 in Auckland, New Zealand) is a former professional rugby league footballer who played his entire career for the New Zealand Warriors in the National Rugby League competition. Ropati also represented New Zealand, and was a member of the World Cup-winning team in 2008. His position of choice was at centre but he also played at fullback and five-eighth.
Ropati is of Samoan descent and was educated at St Paul's College, a school noted for its rugby league teams.
He is no relation to the famous Ropati rugby league family.
Ropati's junior club was the Marist Saints and he played for the Marist Richmond Brothers in the Bartercard Cup. It was his 2003 season in the Bartercard Cup that shot him to prominence, as he enjoyed a stellar season and led the club to the grand final. He missed the grand final, which the Brothers lost, because he was making his NRL debut for the Warriors.
In 2002 Ropati was named captain of the Junior Kiwis squad which played two games against touring Australian sides.
He made his first grade debut for the Warriors in round 25 of the 2003 season against the Sydney Roosters. When not selected for the first grade side, Ropati represented the Auckland Lions in both the Bartercard Cup and NSWRL Premier League. He was one of four players who played in every game for the Warriors in 2007.