Bulldogs’ Will Hopoate has no regrets about decision to put his faith before football

WILL Hopoate understands the cost and reactions to his decision not to play on Sundays. But he has no regrets about putting his faith before football.

Bulldog Will Hopoate during the round 3 NRL game between the Canterbury Bulldogs and the Parramatta Eels at ANZ Stadium,Homebush.Picture Gregg Porteous

WILL Hopoate knows not playing or training on Sundays could cost his NSW Origin jersey this year — and potentially playing in a grand final.

But the devout Mormon has no regrets about putting his faith ahead of football. And the first real test of that comes this Sunday.

In the wake of his recent stunning revelation, the 23-year-old revealed that he won’t train with the Bulldogs at their final team run this week ahead of Monday’s clash against the Storm.

“I will travel with the team. I will attend my service in the morning and travel down with the team on Sunday,” Hopoate said.

Asked if he would train, he added: “No. They train in the morning and then fly down to Melbourne so while they are training I will be at my service and then meet the boys at the airport.”

Hopoate also opened up about how his decision has been received so far.

And while teammates have ribbed him about having “long weekends”, he laughed at how his two years out of rugby league on his mission helped prepare him for the at times mixed receptions he has since copped.

“I can’t control what people say,” he said.

“It is a choice to be offended to unkind and negative remarks. I think an important lesson that I learnt on the mission from being abused at nearly every day is that the worse thing you can do is react so I just choose not to be offended.

“I can understand (the reaction). I mean religion is not for everyone or everyone enjoys it so trying to see it from a non-religious point of view, I can gain a better understanding as to why they might be so negative.”

Before he signed with the Bulldogs, Hopoate was also very close to choosing Melbourne as his new home.

And even though at Parramatta had previously knocked back his request to devote Sundays to his faith, Hopoate revealed that Craig Bellamy was supportive of the idea.

Hopoate is used to the negative reaction to his Mormon faith.

“Yeah, they were. Craig and Melbourne, they were discussing with me that clause and were happy to go along with it as well,” he said.

“But I think my family kind of pulled me across the line. I do think that was a close call but I think all my family is here in Sydney and that was tugging at me a bit.”

He said the support from the Bulldogs, and in particular his coach, had made been tremendous.

Although he remains undecided if he will play in the grand final should the Bulldogs go all the way to the final Sunday of the season, Hopoate said he remained hopeful that missing three Sunday games before Origin won’t necessarily rule him out of Laurie Daley’s calculations.

“Laurie is a great coach and he is a great person and he will do what is best for the state — and if I am not in that 17 I can’t cry about it,” he said. “I just have to move on.”

Originally published as Bulldogs’ Will Hopoate has no regrets about decision to put his faith before football