John Hopoate could not be prouder of his eldest son Will, and he has revealed how Will’s rugby league success had inspired his younger siblings, including Jamil, who hopes to watch the World Club Challenge from a prison cell.
Hopoate, now 49, has been impossible to miss at St Helens training during the past couple of weeks. And should Will, the eldest of Hopoate’s 11 children, help inspire the English Super League champs to victory against Penrith on Saturday evening, it will be a welcome boost for the family who dealt with the imprisonment of Jamil late last year.
Jamil was arrested at gunpoint during a police sting in May 2021, while trying to deliver eight kilograms of cocaine. A court later heard he stood to earn just $10,000 for the job. Eligible for parole in July next year, Jamil had his spirits lifted when he spoke with Will last week, and was hoping to somehow tune into St Helens’ match.
“I’ve always told my kids ‘I’m the crash-test dummy’, and what I’ve done is for you guys to see so you don’t follow me,” ‘Hoppa’ told the Herald. “They say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, and when it comes to my second son, Jamil, he fell in my lap. He’s in jail now.
“If he’s allowed to watch the game on Saturday, I know it will give him a boost. He would love to see his brother succeed. Will spoke to Jamil last Saturday … and even that was a boost for him. Hopefully he can turn his life around.
“Jamil was meant to play first grade at 18, but got locked up for a year. He came back, bided his time, now he’s in jail again. He’s out next July, which is a massive win for us because we were told he was looking at five to eight years.
John Hopoate (right) with eldest son Will and John’s mother, Melesisi, at St Helens training this week.Credit:Josh Howard/St Helens
“I still wanted him to get something, so it would teach him a lesson. But Will has lifted everyone from the start. All the boys wanted to be like Will. He played NRL at 18, Origin when he was 19, and his brothers have always aspired to be like him.”
Hopoate won the 1996 premiership with Manly, but the looming Super League war meant he never got the chance to take part in a World Club Challenge. A rampaging winger, Hopoate played for NSW and Australia, but was also suspended a combined 45 weeks during his career, including the infamous 12-week ban for poking rivals in the bottom.
Should St Helens and Will win at BlueBet Stadium, Hopoate said it would go down as one of his proudest moments.
“As a parent, you want nothing but the best for your kids,” Hopoate said. “I won a grand final, played for NSW and Australia, and won an Australian title in boxing, but it does not come close to seeing your kids accomplish something.
Jamil Hopoate (left) with his father John Hopoate outside Downing Centre Local Court in April last year.Credit:Nick Moir
“Will could have stayed in the NRL, he had offers from three clubs for similar money, but he wanted to travel. He is 100 times better than me. He was actually a bit hopeless as a kid. It wasn’t until he was about 12 or 13, he went to America, came back and shot up, and improved out of sight.
“He always asks me for my opinion, I’ll tell him what I think, but at the end of the day he is his own man – he has to do what’s best for him, not dad.”
Hopoate, whose own five-year ban for fighting in a local A-grade game expires this winter, will be in the stands at Penrith. He is still allowed to attend games and be involved with teams that his children are involved with.
Son Albert has already played NRL with Canberra, while daughter Kalosipani has a bright future with the Sydney Roosters’ NRLW team.
Will Hopoate celebrates a try for Tonga against Australia back in 2019Credit:Getty
Hopoate was backing St Helens to get the job done, and said: “Penrith shouldn’t take this game easy. I like the way St Helens play and give them a definite chance to win.”
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