Will Hopoate ready for challenge of filling Jarryd Hayne’s boots as Parramatta Eels’ fullback
Paul Crawley
News Corp Australia
January 26, 2015 12:00AM
WILL Hopoate comes across as one of the most unassuming and quietly spoken men in rugby league. Don’t be fooled.
When it comes to training, Brad Arthur reckons Hopoate has another side to him that just might be Parramatta’s secret weapon in 2015 as they prepare for life without Jarryd Hayne.
As Arthur explained: “Hop is always the loudest at training.”
And that is not a bad thing when your job is to bark orders on a rugby league field.
“I said it to someone the other day, he reminds me of Billy Slater,” Arthur continued.
“When I was at Melbourne, I thought Billy talked a lot as a fullback.
“Well, Hop’s talk is outstanding. And everything that comes out of his mouth is really positive.
“Defensively, he is going to give us a lot of energy and organisation and structure.”
But is Hopoate physically ready to take over one of the most demanding positions on an NRL field, after just one year back from his Mormon mission?
While Hopoate said his aim won’t be to fill Hayne’s boots, his goal was to do his best for the Eels. If that ends up also winning him Hayne’s vacant No.1 jersey for the NSW Blues, he’ll take it with both hands.
“The first priority is Parramatta,” he said.
“I have always said if rep duties come along I will gladly accept it and put all my heart and soul into the team I am selected in.”
But first there is a whole lot he has to prove, not just to everyone else, but himself. As Hopoate explained, since returning to the NRL he has undergone an incredible physical transformation.
“I was around 95kg when I was at Manly,” Hopoate explained.
“When I came back I was at 88kg. Now I am about 97kg. I think this is the weight I want to be at.
“Playing fullback, I will have to travel a lot of metres so you don’t want to be too big.”
To put it in perspective the difference between playing centres compared to fullback, last year Hopoate would average 6-7km a game.
This year that will jump to about 9km a match.
And while his endurance will have to be way up, the other concern is speed.
Asked if he was as fast now as when he left Manly, Hopoate was reluctant to talk himself up.
“There is always room for improvement but I think I am getting there,” the now 22-year-old said.
But Arthur said in respect to explosive speed, Hopoate can match anyone at the Eels.
“He has been working really hard to make sure his conditioning is the best it can be,” Arthur said.
“We won’t know until he starts playing but all the indications are that he is (ready). Now he has to take it on the field.
“He has been training very well. And like I said, his talk is great.
“He will be a lot more involved in attack this year. He will have to be in the play three or four times out of a set of six, whereas in the centres he might not be involved at all in a set of six. That is going to be the difference for him.”
But Arthur said if attitude is anything to go by, Parramatta fans should get excited.
“He doesn’t whinge, he doesn’t complain,” Arthur said. “Everything you say he takes on board, and he is always trying to do things better.”
Hopoate himself said he feels ready.
“Haynsey is irreplaceable,” he said. “There are things he can do that I certainly can’t.
“I definitely won’t be trying to fill the shoes Jarryd Hayne left but rather just trying to play the best footy I can and hopefully it benefits the team. It is a team sport.
“Every player likes to play alongside a player who has the team first, themselves second type of mentality. It only benefits the team in a positive way. That is something I try to do. Coming back from the mission last year was definitely a challenge mentally and especially physically.
“I came back pretty thin and pretty light compared to the other players so one of the main focuses was to put on a bit of weight and get some strength in the gym. In regards to how I feel compared to this time last year, I feel a bit more confident.
“I am stronger and things are slowly falling into place.
“Having said that I haven’t played an NRL game for 2015 so only time will tell if I am up for it this season.”
But he said playing fullback has always been the position where he was most comfortable.
“It is where I pretty much played all my juniors,” he said.
“It is definitely not a foreign position for me and I like it because you can roam around the park. I enjoy playing it.”
Asked if he had any regrets about the time he spent away from the game, he said: “My two years away were definitely rewarding and very fulfilling. It was an experience that I will never regret. The things I have learnt and experienced I never would have had, had I not gone.
“I definitely feel stronger mentally and spiritually and I feel more mature having been away for that time.”
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Replies
No doubt he is much better suited to FB than centre, i think hes going to enjoy his footy a lot more too, he will carve it up at FB.
I'm excited to see how he goes at fullback in the NRL. From memory I think he only filled in at fullback on two or three occasions at Manly in the top grade so he doesn't have much experience at the elite level.
The only issue where he may struggle at fullback will be catching the modern day spiral bomb which is a nightmare to catch as it swings away from its natural drop within its last 5-10 metres from hitting the ground. I've noticed that a number of experienced fullbacks such as Billy Slater have struggled with this bomb over the past season or two.
I wish him all the best as he has very big shoes to fill.
we do need him fit and playing well.
I think he will have an great impact this year from fullback.
Just got to remember not to judge by JH standards
You are right but there will be nupties that will.
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