William Hopoate
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| Nickname | Hoppa[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
9 May 1992 Manly, New South Wales, Australia [2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 186 cm (6 ft 1 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 97 kg (15 st 4 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Centre, Fullback, Wing | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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As of 6 May 2017 Source: [3] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
William Hopoate also known as Viliami in Tongan (born 9 May 1992) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who currently plays for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the National Rugby League. A New South Wales State of Origin and New South Wales City representative, he plays at centre, fullback and wing and previously played for the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles and Parramatta Eels. He is the son of former Australian international, John Hopoate.
Early life
Hopoate attended Cromer Campus and represented Australian Schoolboys rugby league team. He is of Tongan descent.
Club career
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
He joined Manly's squads in 2009 at the age of 16 and played the entire year in the Sea Eagles Toyota Cup. He primarily played at fullback but also played on the wing and in the centres. Despite a season-ending injury to Manly 1st-grade fullback Brett Stewart in Round 1 of the 2010 NRL season, Hopoate had to wait until Round 13 to make his debut as coach Des Hasler preferred to use Ben Farrar in the custodian role.
Hopoate is the son of former Manly player John Hopoate, though other than his physical size, speed, strength and general play, he has shown none of the "bad boy" habits which saw his father often on the sidelines through suspension. Hopoate also represented the Australian Schoolboys team.
In Round 3 of the 2011 NRL season, Hopoate scored his first ever double against the Newcastle Knights at Brookvale Oval. Hopoate was part of the Manly side that defeated the New Zealand Warriors in the 2011 NRL Grand Final[4] where he was denied the opening try but did produce a flick pass that sent Glenn Stewart over the line for a crucial try in the second half.
Parramatta Eels
In October 2011, Hopoate signed a 2-year contract with the Parramatta Eels starting in 2014, after his Mormon mission ended.[5] In April 2015, he agreed to re-sign with the Eels on a 3-year contract,[6] however due to legal complications, the contract wasn't registered and Hopoate was left a free agent.[7]
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
On 7 December 2015, Hopoate signed a 2-year contract with the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs starting in 2016.[8]
On 1 June 2017, Hopoate re-signed with the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs for a further three years until 2020
Representative career
On 5 June 2011 Hopoate was selected to play State of Origin for New South Wales in Game 2 against Queensland at ANZ Stadium. He is the second youngest player behind Brad Fittler ever selected to play for NSW and he scored a try on debut helping NSW level the 3 game series at one all with an 18-8 win.
Personal life
Outside of rugby league, the Hopoate family is one with strong religious beliefs. As such Hopoate forsook his early league career and spent 2012 and 2013 serving a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).[9]
References
- ↑ Lane, Daniel (22 June 2011). "Battle of Will: clubs all want a piece of Hoppa, says agent". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
- ↑ http://www.bulldogs.com.au/team/profiles/will_hopoate.html
- ↑ "William Hopoate - Career Stats & Summary". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 2015-12-07.
- ↑ "Hi I'm William Hopoate". Mormon.org.uk. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
- ↑ "Will Hopoate signs with Parramatta Eels | NRL". Zero Tackle. 2011-10-04. Retrieved 2015-12-07.
- ↑ "Hopoate set to extend stay with Parramatta | NRL". Zero Tackle. 2015-04-18. Retrieved 2015-12-07.
- ↑ "Parramatta offer Hopoate ‘unders’ to stay | NRL". Zero Tackle. Retrieved 2015-12-07.
- ↑ "Bulldogs sign Will Hopoate | NRL". Zero Tackle. 2015-05-27. Retrieved 2015-12-07.
- ↑ "Young star leaving NRL for Mormon mission". The New Zealand Herald. Newstalk ZB. 13 May 2011. Retrieved 3 December 2011.