By STEVE MASCORD
“I WAS the kid the other team used to run at to score tries.”
William Hopoate is sitting on a couch in reception at the Novotel Resort in Coffs Harbour, home of the NSW Blues. At times, the 23-year-old can be as problematic for an interviewer as he is for opposition defences.
The son of John learned to deal with the media at a young age. Maybe he learned to distrust us, as well. Taking the metaphor above perhaps too far, his verbal fend occasionally rivals his left or right.
But Will is nothing if not co-operative, friendly and helpful tonight. After a couple of delays caused by the Blues’ massage schedule that almost scuppered our meeting completely, he warms up as our conversation wears on.
It’s when I raise some comments from Will’s mother Brenda, ahead of Mothers Day on the Parramatta website, that his he offers the rather surprising admission at the top of this story
Brenda told the club: “Where he is at now, it’s like ‘how did that happen?’
“…around the under 13s, he just switched into this boy that I have never seen but before that, he just was not a good player,
“He was never funny, he was just a boring kid. A very good boy. If I sat him in one spot he would sit there until I come back and say ‘you can move now’
“You know how kids lie? ‘Who ate the cookies in the jar? Who broke this?’ He would always go ‘Oh me mum!’”
As if to prove his mother right, all these years later, ‘Hoppa’ offers another mia culpa to A-List. Yes, the opposition always ran straight through him as a kid.
“I kind of hit a little growth spurt,” he explains. “Confidence comes. When you’re a kid and you score a try or two, you’re over the moon.
“I wouldn’t say there’s a certain day (it happened). There’s a year. Like mum said, at 12 or 13 the dream to play in the NRL became kind of a goal that I really wanted to achieve. Around those early teenage years was really the turning point.
“With that growth spurt came a bit more strength because I was a bit taller and bit more speed because I was a bit taller and that kind of built into confidence.”
William’s at an interesting career crossroads for a number of reasons. After a couple of years away on a Mormon mission in Beenleigh (“I missed all six Origin games. They gave me a bit of stick about them being Maroons fans but … I bleed blue”), he’s in Origin again as a winger, back in the centres for Parra after a stint at fullback, off contract and at a club with plenty of internal turmoil.
Things could go either way for him. There’s becoming an Origin regular, staying at a successful and stable Parramatta and making a home for himself in the three quarter line.
Then there’s leaving, remaining a positional nomad and being in and out of a Blue jumper. The next month or so will tell.
Let’s start with the positional changes: “It was obviously Brad’s (that’s Brad Arthur, the coach) call at the end of the day,” he explains.
“There’re a few similarities between wing-centre-fullback and at the same time there are a few differences. I’m lucky enough to play outside J-moz (Josh Morris) who is a great attacking and defensive centre so there are a few things that I can definitely learn off him. He helps me to keep my cool out there on the wing.”
The straight bat is pulled back out for questions about Parramatta’s off-field travails – including salary cap breaches – and fears Will’s former clubmate Kieran Foran could back out of joining them.
“From a player’s perspective, Brad’s really up front and honest with us which is an attribute that the boys love about him. He’s really helped us to just focus on our role and our responsibility and that’s to train and play footy.
“Everything outside of that, he’ll try to deal with alongside his associates.
“I think any club would be happy to have Kieran (Foran). He’s a star of the game and he was a team-mate back at Manly and in the junior grades. It would be great to reunite with him.”
The good news we can bring you is that despite the drama Will plans to stay where he is – which is probably why you’ve not read much about him being off contract.
“My manager and I are sorting out a contract with Parramatta,” he says. “(I signed for) two years, last year and this year. I’m off contract this year and hoping to sort out my future sooner rather than later.”
Speaking of Josh Morris …. Hopoate admits there is pressure associated with having a famous footy playing dad, nevermind one who hit the headlines as often as his.
“Both my parents have helped take that pressure off me,” he says. “I mean, growing up I obviously knew there was a bit there but I’m grateful to family and friends and the lord that I was able to deal with it.”
And did turning his back on footy for two years relieve that pressure?
“Yeah, I mean, in a sense. That wasn’t a purpose of me going away though. My entire focus was to do that for God and at the same time it kind of helped me appreciate the situation I was in at such a young age. I’ll forever appreciate that.
“(When I returned) the focus kind of switched to developing this talent I’ve been blessed with.”
Will’s uncle, the Tongan international Albert Hopoate, opened his eyes to what the mission could do for him as a person and the perspective it would give him.
“He had an influence on me going,” Will says with a nod. “I saw him go and it was nothing he forced me to do. He just mentioned what he learned, the experience that he had. That was something I took into consideration and something that I wanted to experience as well.”
Of course we can’t run through Will’s family without asking about Jamil, who is currently serving a year in jail for assault. Here, William appeals for an NRL club to give him a second chance when he is released.
“I spoke to him. He calls up a few times, just to see how things are going and I go and visit him with the family. He seems to be doing well and is still very supporting as a brother and as a son to our family.
“I think it’s still his ambition and he’s still … he’s turning 21 in November so he’s still quite young and hopefully there’s a club out there that might give him a second chance. I believe he’s learned from his lesson and he’s willing to give it a second crack.”
The Polynesian influence in the NRL is growing each day and while Will has never played for Tonga, he says he wants to. Echoing the thoughts of Benji Marshall earlier this year in these pages, he explains the pressure on islander kids in football can be quite different than those on everyone else.
William says he supports his family financially, as most Polynesian footballers do.
“A big part of Polynesian culture is giving back to family because without family, a lot of these boys – myself included – wouldn’t be able to deal with the situations we face today,” he said.
“That’s a responsibility that comes upon them when they’re under the big lights.
“For myself, I see it as a blessing and a privilege to be able to support mum and dad and siblings. If it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t be here in the first place so it’s a pleasure.”
He might be a better footballer these days – you wouldn’t runs at him deliberately – but being ‘boring’ remains something he refuses to take as an insult. Will Hopoate still seems to be a very good boy.
“I try to be obedient to mum and dad and to God,” he says with a gentle smile.
“But no-one’s perfect.”
