Eels Dude
Coach
- Messages
- 19,065
Definately his brother, otherwise it would be a bit worrying as John Hopoate would have started having kids when he was 10 or 11. He hasn't been retired that long.
Register a free account today to become a member of the world's largest Rugby League discussion forum! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...odest-stage-20111009-1lfyc.html#ixzz1aJdGvADMThy Will be done: Hopoate walks tall on a much more modest stage
Glenn Jackson
October 10, 2011
Man on a mission ... Manly winger Will Hopoate at church in Harbord last night. Photo: Domino Postiglione
AT 7.30 last night Will Hopoate found himself on a stage, with an audience worshipping him. The contrast between that and the stage he was on exactly a week earlier was remarkable.
Seven days earlier, Hopoate was on a temporary stage at ANZ Stadium with his Manly teammates, after winning the NRL grand final - a match in which he produced one of the most memorable plays of not only the night but of recent deciders.
It was also his last match before beginning a two-year Mormon mission to Brisbane, which is what brought him to the stage last night, at his local chapel in Harbord. It was a more humble environment, but you sense no less humbling.
Advertisement: Story continues below
And certainly no less important when you consider what Hopoate sacrificed in order to experience it.
The contrasts were many and all extraordinary.
The NRL grand final was played in front of a crowd of more than 80,000, and was screened live to an audience of millions on television. The soundtrack was Bon Jovi, Kelly Clarkson, and the thunderous hits of the sport. Last night, he had an audience of a few hundred, in front of one screen, a projector. The soundtrack was a simple piano.
Brothers in arms among his teammates had been replaced by Brother William, the star on a different stage, called to explain his decision.
''I was never the most obedient child, but I have found that if I put the Lord first in my life, everything else just falls into place,'' Hopoate, who will play for the Parramatta Eels in 2013, told the congregation, as he wiped a tear from his eye. ''Everything just takes care of itself.''
Hopoate only debuted for Manly last season, but has enjoyed a steep rise since. Which is why many were stunned when he decided to put it on hold for his mission.
Since that decision, he has represented NSW and won a grand final, which means he has continued to face the odd question about whether he would turn his back on his church. He has remained steadfast.
The Herald was given a front-row seat to his new life last night, in which he said that none of it would have come without his faith. At the same time he decided he wanted to be a professional footballer, he said, he also decided that he would undertake his mission. The career as a professional footballer came first, but for two years his faith would take priority.
''He blessed me to play first grade, He blessed me to play State of Origin, He blessed me to play in the finals,'' he said. ''In my heart and soul, I know that those things are blessings from God.''
Sharing the stage with Hopoate was his father John, also a Manly winger. ''My biggest regret was not getting out on the mission field and serving the Lord,'' John said. ''People will say he's crazy for walking away from all that money, but we have been blessed with more.''
And for the former New Zealand rugby union halfback Sid Going, his sacrifices for the church continued; he addressed the congregation last night as the All Blacks were playing their quarter final against Argentina. ''I know that the decision that young Will has made here to go and serve the mission is the best decision that he could make at this time of his life,'' Going said. ''The Lord has blessed him. I know that Will will do well on his mission, because the eyes are on him I know what he's able to achieve.''
The stages for his achievements vary greatly, and so do the opinions on which role is more important. But on a humble stage in Harbord, few were arguing. Hopoate spoke of being told that to sacrifice two years would lead to him being given a ''lifetime of blessings''.
''That sounds like a good deal to me,'' he said.
Only the Queensland coach gets to choose whoever he wants. The NSW coach has to pick people from NSW
.
John Hopoate... Family man with his eight children William (16), Jamil (14), Laumaile (11), John (10), Albert (8), Tupou (7), Kalosipani (5) and Iehi (4) at their Narraweena home in Sydney, 2009
This makes no sense.
