John Hopoate

John Hopoate

Hopoate in 2008
Personal information
Nickname	Hoppa
Born	(1974-01-16) 16 January 1974 (age 43) Nukuʻalofa, Tonga
Playing information
Height	182 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight	104 kg (16 st 5 lb)
Position	Wing
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1993–99 Manly-Warringah 123 62 0 0 248 2000–01 Wests Tigers 28 6 0 0 24 2001–02 Northern Eagles 31 12 0 0 48 2003–05 Manly-Warringah 27 7 0 0 28 Total 209 87 0 0 348 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1994 Tonga 1 0 0 0 0 1995 New South Wales 1 0 0 0 0 1995 Australia 2 3 0 0 12 1997–03 City NSW 3 0 0 0 0
Source: NRL Stats

John Hopoate (born 16 January 1974) is a Tongan-born Australian former rugby league footballer and boxer. An Australia national and New South Wales State of Origin representative winger, he played in the National Rugby League for Sydney clubs, the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles (with whom he won the 1995 Premiership), Wests Tigers and Northern Eagles. Hopoate also became Australian heavyweight boxing champion. He was born in Tonga, but moved to Australia with his family while he was still young and took up the game of rugby league. Hopoate began his professional league career with the Manly-Warringah side while he was only nineteen years of age, and was also selected for the Tonga national team. Hopoate did not play as a regular first-grade player until two years later in 1995 where he showed his ability by scoring 21 tries, finishing second in the top try-scoring table to team-mate Steve Menzies. After many controversies his reputation became greatly tarnished and his career continued on a downhill slide, seeing him become the "most suspended player of the modern era". A final incident in 2005 led to him being sacked and he retired from playing. He has since become a professional boxer. He is the father of Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs player Will Hopoate.

Born in Nukuʻalofa, Tonga on 16 January 1974, Hopoate moved with his family to Australia and he originally lived and grew up in the Manly area of Sydney before moving to the western suburbs as a teenager. Former Australian international Bob Fulton recruited Hopoate to his former club at Manly after remembering his skill and power while witnessing him play as a junior for his Manly Cove side before then going on to represent the under nineteen New South Wales side. Hopoate is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.