Jacob Hopper finds inspiration in brave bushfire heroes
Jacob Hopper has endured plenty of lows in his AFL career, which includes having heart surgery and losing a Grand Final, but lending a hand during the bushfire crisis has given him a new perspective.
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One father’s refusal to give up in the face of ferocious odds will inspire Jacob Hopper to battle through the tough moments he’ll face in the gruelling AFL campaign ahead.
As the new season looms, the Giants midfielder is armed with fresh perspective.
Footy matters but some things matter far more. And not all heroes are found on a sporting field.
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On a weekend where the sporting spotlight falls on efforts to raise funds for the victims of Australia’s bushfire crisis, Hopper has quietly played his part in easing the pain for one family.
But it’s no one-way process. He believes his experiences amid the devastation can help him dig deeper on the field when his teammates need it most.
Hopper, who turned 23 on Thursday, and teammates Sam Reid and Adam Kennedy have helped one south coast family quite literally pick up the pieces.
With no fanfare, the three players headed down to Yatte Yattah due to Reid’s connection with local resident and AFL NSW/ACT regional manager of south coast, Matt Graham.
They helped the Burns family clear their property and rebuild some of the sheds destroyed by fire.
Losing a Grand Final is gutting in a sporting sense and Hopper has endured some physical challenges in his career so far with heart surgery, glandular fever, a broken finger, torn ankle ligaments and stress fractures in his lower back all obstacles that have had to be cleared.
But he said seeing the sights, the smells, the ruins and the wreckage brought a sense of perspective firmly to the fore.
“There’s some true heroes and real leaders out there in these communities showing real fight and grit,” Hopper said.
“As a sports person you are always looking for people who inspire you and can draw extra motivation from and this is definitely the case here.
“They were such a beautiful family and hopefully we will continue our relationship with them. The father had stayed to protect the house when the fire was coming through.
“So it’s inspiring in what people are doing to help but it was also quite confronting and devastating. It’s going to be a long rebuild.”
The Giants players will return to areas devastated by bushfires for a series of AFL community camps in early March.