John Hopoate
John Hopoate is a former professional rugby league player and boxer who was involved in sport controversies and subsequently convicted for violent crimes. He played rugby league in the Tonga national rugby league team, Australian Rugby League team, NSW State of Origin team and in the National Rugby League for Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, Wests Tigers and the Northern Eagles. He became the "most suspended player of the modern era". In 2018 he was banned for 10 years by the NSWRL from any involvement in its and affiliated rugby league.
Hopoate was the Australian heavyweight boxing champion from 2008 to 2009.
He is the father of footballers William, Jamil, Lehi and Albert Hopoate.
Childhood and personal life
Hopoate was born in Nukualofa, Tonga on 16 January 1974. His family moved to Australia and he lived in the Manly area of Sydney before moving to the western suburbs as a teenager. Hopoate is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.Rugby League career
Former Australian international Bob Fulton recruited Hopoate to the Manly club after witnessing his power and skill playing as a junior for a Manly Cove team before then going on to play in the New South Wales Under-19 team.1993–1999 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
Hopoate signed with the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles club in 1993 when he was 19 years old, and made his first grade debut against the Canberra Raiders at Brookvale Oval on 6 June that year. He played in the Tonga national rugby league team in the 1994 Pacific Cup, although he was regularly in and out of the first grade team, not holding down a regular position until 1995.Hopoate's early season form in 1995 was excellent as he went on to score 11 tries from his first 11 first grade appearances and subsequently lead the try scoring table. After his form and try scoring feats during the 1995 season, Hopoate was called up to his first senior representative match for New South Wales in Game 2 of the 1995 State of Origin series but was unavailable for the third game due to injury.
Over the remaining rounds of the 1995 ARL season Hopoate went on to score 21 tries, finishing second in the top try-scoring table to teammate Steve Menzies. He was instrumental in Manly's good form leading into the finals series, although Manly eventually lost to the Bulldogs.
The Tongan rugby league team looked to pick Hopoate based on his nation of birth for the 1995 World Cup, but the Australian Rugby League selected him in the Kangaroos team under the residency rule. He played in the opening match of the cup but failed to score, and then made a mistake that became the turning point in a match that was eventually won by the English team. In the following match, against the South African team, Hopoate scored three times in the 86 to 6 victory.
In his fourth season at Manly, Hopoate was again instrumental in his team's fortunes. He began the season slowly in comparison to his previous year, with only five tries over the first 20 rounds of the season, but his defence had improved immensely; helping his team to concede fewer tries. He scored another six tries for the season including four in one game against the South Sydney Rabbitohs, and ultimately helped his Manly team to their first premiership in eight years.
In the 1997 season, Hopoate again started the season slowly, scoring only two tries in 12 games, but in the Round 12 match against the St. George Dragons he scored three tries and continued his form scoring eight tries in his next six games and a total of 15 for the season.
2000–2001 Wests Tigers
Signing for the newly-merged Wests Tigers in 2000, Hopoate scored just five tries in the season. He was suspended several times during the season, including being charged with 'contrary conduct' in a late season game against Melbourne as a result of more than ten separate incidents in that game.In 2001, Hopoate began the season poorly, scoring only one try in several games, before involvement in incidents of inserting his fingers into the anuses of three players which led to him being suspended for 12 weeks and agreeing to part ways with the Tigers club.
2001–2002 Northern Eagles
Manly reserve grade team signed him for the remainder of the season where his good form earned him a call-up to the Northern Eagles first grade team late in the season. Hopoate ran 3,976 metres with the ball over the 2002 NRL season, more than any other player in the competition. In the following year, he scored ten tries for the Eagles before the club disbanded in 2003.2003–2005 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
With the reinstatement of the Sea Eagles for the beginning of the 2003 season, Hopoate was re-signed to the club where he made his debut ten years earlier. He began the season with several impressive performances but, again, his on-field indiscretions were an issue.His following two seasons were poor, with several on-field and off-field incidents earning him both fines and suspensions. In a 2005 game against the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, Hopoate attempted a reckless shoulder charge, making contact to the head of forward Keith Galloway with his elbow. Hopoate was suspended for 17 weeks by the NRL and the Manly club terminated his contract, effectively ending his career. He made a final statement on the Sea Eagles website thanking his fans and supporters, and apologising to his wife Brenda and eight children.
Rugby league controversies
2001 on-field indecent assaults
During a 2001 game with the North Queensland Cowboys, Hopoate inserted fingers in three players' buttocks and anuses. The first incident occurred during the seventh minute of play. The matter was referred to the rugby league judiciary on 28 March. Hopoate was suspended for 12 weeks for what one commissioner described as "disgusting, violent, offensive behaviour".Hopoate claimed, in front of the panel of judges, that he was just trying to give all three players a wedgie with his fingers, denying he had done anything wrong and that he was "a great believer in what happens on the field should stay there". The three victims in the case, Cowboys players Glenn Morrison, Peter Jones and Paul Bowman, all disagreed with Hopoate's reasoning. According to Jones, "It wasn't a wedgie. That's when your pants are pulled up your arse. I think I know the difference between a wedgie and someone sticking their finger up my bum", while Bowman said he was "disgusted" and "couldn't believe it". Hopoate was found guilty of 'unsportsmanlike interference'.
2003 breach of contract
In the 2003 season, Hopoate breached the terms of his playing contract by playing in a fifth-grade rugby union match in the Sydney competition on 9 June under a false name in an attempt to not get caught. After his Manly club found out and confronted Hopoate he admitted that he had breached his contract and was fined $5000.2004–2005 abuse of sideline officials
During the 2004 club season, Hopoate become involved in more controversy. While leaving the field at the conclusion of a match, Hopoate started a heated argument with a touch judge in which he verbally abused the official. Hopoate was given a lengthy suspension by the NRL.In the Round 1 clash with the New Zealand Warriors, Hopoate verbally abused a 14-year-old rugby league ball boy who had placed the ball on the sideline of the field rather than throwing it infield to the Manly player. The NRL review found that the ball boy had acted within the guidelines and Hopoate was in the wrong for his verbal assault. Hopoate apologised to the young boy, claiming that he "was not aware of the proper interpretation of the rule" and was in the wrong.
2005 elbow to head incident
On 19 March 2005, Hopoate was again in trouble with the NRL, this time in a match against the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks. During the 30th minute of the game he made a charge at Cronulla forward Keith Galloway with his elbow in a cocked position jumping and striking Galloway in the head immediately knocking him unconscious, leaving him with a laceration to and bleeding from his ear. After immediate review from the third official Hopoate was sent from the field for the remainder of the match while Galloway was stretchered from the field in a neck brace and took no further part in the game.The NRL match review committee referred Hopoate's conduct to the NRL Judiciary. At the judiciary hearing on 22 March, Hopoate's lawyer and coach attempted to argue that he was doing nothing more than "trying to go for a shoulder charge" and that his raised arm was just an attempt to protect his ribs. His contrition carried little weight with the panel and ultimately his defence failed to convince them that he had done nothing wrong and he was given a 17-game suspension. With his season over, the Manly club, that had stood by him through many of his career indiscretions, decided to terminate his contract with immediate effect on 23 March 2005.