Lehi Hopoate doesn’t pull any punches when asked about his performance against the Bulldogs last Sunday.
“That game was probably my worst game yet,” The 19-year-old Manly winger admits.
“My mentality was to have strong carries, try my best not to make any mistakes, but that ended up happening in the game, and that’s life,” Hopoate.
“The first 30 minutes, they definitely set the tone on me. I really wanted to make a statement that even though I do get rag-dolled and such, that I don’t go away from the game. That’s what I ended up doing.”
Hopoate helped Manly reduce the margin just before half-time, after plucking a Daly Cherry-Evans kick from the sky and flicking on for Ethan Bullemor to score.
Lehi Hopoate is crunched by Canterbury’s Viliame Kikau and Bronson Xerri.Credit: Getty Images
Another big moment for Hopoate came in the second half, when he grabbed a 50/50 loose ball on Manly’s 30-metre line after a Viliame Kikau charge-down, which would otherwise have left the Bulldogs with a clear path to the line.
“He’s twice my size, a scary guy,” Hopoate said of Kikau. “We were definitely under the pump the whole game up to that point [the charge-down], and Kikau obviously had a big play. The ball did bounce my way, luckily.”
Hopoate’s resilience embodied Manly’s spirited performance against the Bulldogs, who imposed constant defensive pressure to lead the Sea Eagles for most of the game.
Fullback Tom Trbojevic was full of admiration for the youngster’s toughness and composure.
“You see the way he carries himself, I wish I was that calm and [be] able to manage all those negatives [when I was younger],” Trbojevic said. “As a kid, I definitely didn’t have that in my game, and he’s going to be some player.”
Victory over the Roosters at Allianz Stadium on Saturday night would see Manly progress to a grand final qualifier against the Storm in Melbourne next week.
Hopoate is prepared for the Roosters to “come after me”, but said he would follow the advice of father John and brothers Will, Jamil and Albert and focus on making hard, low carries to avoid being rag-dolled again.
He expects the Roosters, battered by injuries in recent weeks, to be “much harder” than the Bulldogs, but takes confidence from his team’s victory last weekend.
“It shows that against all odds, and when we’ve got our backs against the wall, we’re still able to get the win,” Hopoate said. “No matter what metrics don’t go our way, we’re still able to pull off a win, even though we don’t pull off our best performance.”
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