1. John Hopoate played rugby league in the Tonga national rugby league team, Australian Rugby League team, NSW State of Origin team and in the National Rugby League for Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, Wests Tigers and the Northern Eagles.
57 Facts About John Hopoate
1. 2.
John Hopoate became the "most suspended player of the modern era".
3.
John Hopoate is the father of footballers William, Jamil, Lehi and Albert Hopoate.
4.
John Hopoate's family moved to Australia and he lived in the Manly area of Sydney before moving to the western suburbs as a teenager.
5.
John Hopoate is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
6.
John Hopoate signed with the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles club in 1993 when he was 19 years old, and made his first grade debut against the Canberra Raiders at Brookvale Oval on 6 June that year.
7.
John Hopoate played in the Tonga national rugby league team in the 1994 Pacific Cup, although he was regularly in and out of the first grade team, not holding down a regular position until 1995.
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John Hopoate was instrumental in Manly's good form leading into the finals series, although Manly eventually lost to the Bulldogs.
9.
The Tongan rugby league team looked to pick John Hopoate based on his nation of birth for the 1995 World Cup, but the Australian Rugby League selected him in the Kangaroos team under the residency rule.
10.
John Hopoate played in the opening match of the cup but failed to score, and then made a mistake that became the turning point in a match that was eventually won by the English team.
11.
John Hopoate began the season slowly in comparison to his previous year, with only five tries over the first 20 rounds of the season, but his defence had improved immensely; helping his team to concede fewer tries.
12.
John Hopoate scored another six tries for the season including four in one game against the South Sydney Rabbitohs, and ultimately helped his Manly team to their first premiership in eight years.
13.
John Hopoate was suspended several times during the season, including being charged with 'contrary conduct' in a late season game against Melbourne as a result of more than ten separate incidents in that game.
14.
In 2001, John Hopoate began the season poorly, scoring only one try in several games, before involvement in incidents of inserting his fingers into the anuses of three players which led to him being suspended for 12 weeks and agreeing to part ways with the Tigers club.
15.
John Hopoate ran 3,976 metres with the ball over the 2002 NRL season, more than any other player in the competition.
16.
John Hopoate began the season with several impressive performances but, again, his on-field indiscretions were an issue.
17.
John Hopoate's following two seasons were poor, with several on-field and off-field incidents earning him both fines and suspensions.
18.
John Hopoate was suspended for 17 weeks by the NRL and the Manly club terminated his contract, effectively ending his career.
19.
John Hopoate made a final statement on the Sea Eagles website thanking his fans and supporters, and apologising to his wife Brenda and eight children.
20.
John Hopoate was suspended for 12 weeks for what one commissioner described as "disgusting, violent, offensive behaviour".
21.
John Hopoate claimed, in front of the panel of judges, that he was just trying to give all three players a wedgie with his fingers, denying he had done anything wrong and that he was "a great believer in what happens on the field should stay there".
22.
The NRL review found that the ball boy had acted within the guidelines and John Hopoate was in the wrong for his verbal assault.
23.
John Hopoate apologised to the young boy, claiming that he "was not aware of the proper interpretation of the rule" and was in the wrong.
24.
On 19 March 2005, John Hopoate was again in trouble with the NRL, this time in a match against the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks.
25.
John Hopoate's contrition carried little weight with the panel and ultimately his defence failed to convince them that he had done nothing wrong and he was given a 17-game suspension.
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On 9 December 2005, John Hopoate was banned from NRL rugby league for 12 months after threatening a junior official at a local match.
27.
In 2016, Hopoate started coaching Manly's S G Ball Cup side until the NRL claimed the former international was not of fit and proper character to mentor young and impressionable men, threatening the Sea Eagles with a breach notice if they did not stand Hopoate down.
28.
Mr John Hopoate has taken the matter to the Supreme Court.
29.
On 30 July 2016, John Hopoate was forced to pay legal costs after he dropped his court case against the NRL.
30.
In October 2017, John Hopoate joined the Tongan camp for the 2017 Rugby League World Cup.
31.
On 24 July 2018, John Hopoate was charged by the NSWRL for punching opposition players while playing for the Narraweena Hawks against Forestville in a local A grade match.
32.
John Hopoate was banned from all involvement in NSWRL rugby league for 10 years.
33.
On 17 November 2018, John Hopoate played for Manly in the Legends of League charity event.
34.
John Hopoate was allowed to participate because the event was not controlled by the NSWRL.
35.
John Hopoate courted controversy as he wore a rubber glove on one hand during a match against Newcastle, referencing his 12-week suspension in 2001 for sticking his finger into the anus of opposition players.
36.
John Hopoate won his debut after only 47 seconds of the opening round, knocking out Frank "The Big Ship" Faasolo.
37.
John Hopoate's third fight was against Ipswich Brothers and former Gold Coast Seagulls rugby league prop forward Anthony Fowler.
38.
John Hopoate then knocked out Hiriwa Te Rangi on 24 February 2007 after a stiffer contest that lasted five rounds, his longest fight to date.
39.
Lovemore N'dou, the IBF junior welterweight champion, said after watching the bout that John Hopoate is an embarrassment to the sport of boxing, and that he was disgusted with what he saw.
40.
On 30 March 2007, John Hopoate experienced his first defeat, which came by Brian Fitzgerald.
41.
On 13 April 2007, John Hopoate suffered his second straight loss, inflicted by former national kickboxing champion, Ben Edwards, who was making his professional boxing debut.
42.
However, following his earlier criticism, Lovemore N'dou has commented that John Hopoate needs to "learn to fight properly", as well as the more inflammatory "Hoppa should stop putting his finger up other guys anuses "; however, has now offered to help him out at no charge.
43.
On 10 September 2008, John Hopoate became Australian heavyweight boxing champion.
44.
John Hopoate cornered "The Big Bear" Mirovic and hit him with more than six clean punches to knock the 42-year-old to the floor.
45.
John Hopoate fought Cliff Couser on 20 March 2009 and won the fight by technical knockout after Couser did not answer the bell for the fourth round.
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John Hopoate fought Oliver McCall on 22 May 2009 for the International Boxing Association Intercontinental heavyweight title in a fight which he lost by second-round technical knockout after being knocked down twice in the fight.
47.
John Hopoate fought Bob Mirovic again on 23 July 2009, beating him on points after a gruelling 10-round match.
48.
John Hopoate fought Colin Wilson on 10 October 2009, on the undercard of the David Tua and Shane Cameron fight.
49.
John Hopoate started the fight well scoring a knock down in the third round, before Colin Wilson came back from the knock down to knock John Hopoate down late in the same round.
50.
John Hopoate then fought Shane Cameron on 20 March 2010, losing the fight by disqualification in the second round after John Hopoate wrestled with Cameron and tried throwing him to the ground more than he tried throwing punches.
51.
On 20 December 2018, John Hopoate agreed to return to the ring to fight Cronulla player Paul Gallen with the match being scheduled for 9 February 2019.
52.
John Hopoate was knocked out in the second round of the bout.
53.
John Hopoate said afterwards "I got caught by a good punch and I can't hide from that, I went to sleep and fell over".
54.
In December 2010, John Hopoate was charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm and affray following an incident at the Trademark Hotel in Kings Cross, New South Wales, where he worked.
55.
John Hopoate was employed as a Responsible Service of Alcohol marshall and not for security.
56.
In May 2016, John Hopoate was arrested and charged with common assault after an incident involving an employee of a Crows Nest supermarket.
57.
John Hopoate was sentenced to a $1500 fine and an 18-month good behaviour bond.