Manly’s Albert Hopoate set for much-anticipated NRL debut in Round 16
He’s the Manly prodigy rated more highly than Newcastle’s Bradman Best and teen sensation Joseph Suaalii. Meet the latest star to come from the Hopoate production line.
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Albert Hopoate, the Manly prodigy rated more highly than the likes of Newcastle’s Bradman Best and teen sensation Joseph Suaalii, is tipped to make his much-anticipated NRL debut this weekend.
Hopoate made the mad dash from the New Zealand Warriors training base on the NSW central coast to Narrabeen on Monday, in time for the coach Des Hasler’s first training season of the week at 8.30am in the morning.
The son of former Sea Eagles winger John Hopoate, Albert, 19, had been loaned to the Warriors only 10 days ago but another backline injury forced his recall back to the northern beaches club.
Recruitment guru Peter O’Sullivan, who currently works for the Warriors, believes Hopoate is the best teenage prospect in rugby league, surpassing even Best on raw talent. O’Sullivan is responsible for unearthing the likes of Billy Slater, Latrell Mitchell, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Greg Inglis and Israel Folau.
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“He’s a class act, coming through the ranks he set up a try for Bradman Best to win the under 16’s Origin game in 2017 on the full-time bell. He’s the best player in that age group coming through … you see how good Bradman Best, and I’m not being disrespectful to Bradman, but Albert was a lot better,” O’Sullivan told The Daily Telegraph.
“He’s a natural footy player and he’s in the elite bracket with the ‘Suaaliis’ and those sort of characters.”
The Warriors had planned on blooding Hopoate this weekend against the Newcastle Knights before Hasler summoned him back to Narrabeen ahead of Manly’s clash against Melbourne on Sunday.
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In June, Hasler said it was unlikely Hopoate would debut this year because the coach could not ease him back through a reserve or lower grade competition.
But another serious backline injury, this time to centre Moses Suli (foot) in Manly’s dismal performance 56-16 against South Sydney, will see Hopoate catapulted into contention this week.
Manly’s NRL rivals will be keeping a close eye on Hopoate with rising fullback off contract at the end of this season.
Like O’Sullivan, injured superstar fullback Tom Trbojevic also watched Hopoate tear through oppositions while he was coming through the ranks at the Sea Eagles.
“I’ve watched him play growing up, he’s the same age as my little brother Ben, he’s a freak of a player. He’s going to be awesome. It’s so unfortunate that he is coming off two knee reconstructions and hasn’t been able to play under 20s or a NSW Cup system. But you can see it at training, he’s a freak,” Trbojevic said.
On Monday, outside back Reuben Garrick revealed he and his Sea Eagles teammates felt embarrassed after leaking nine tries to the Rabbitohs in Saturday’s crucial match.
A win to the Sea Eagles would have kept the club in touch of the final series, instead they now sit four points outside the top eight with only five regular season matches remaining.
A shattered Garrick said he was ‘ashamed’ of his own performance and apologised to Sea Eagles fans for Saturday’s listless showing.
“When you dish up something like that it’s pretty embarrassing, you become ashamed of your performance and you just have to find something within yourself to spark up again,” Garrick said.
“We’re feeling not only for ourselves but the members and supporters, we don’t mean to do out there and dish that up.
“I want to apologise to our members and supporters.”