Albert Hopoate Jnr

[pjayz]

Maybe Barrett WANTS to sit out his 600k/year contract and his manager is shielding any offers that are lower.

It does appear nobody wants him as a FG head coach. 600k is too big for an assistant or reggies gig so maybe he plans on taking up one of those for less money after he finishes sucking every last cent he can from us.

Just a possibility and I agree with everything you said..

Would not surprise me to see him assisting at the sharks or Dragons once his contract with us expires.

 

[The Who]

In all fairness to Twenty, he could have a career as a TV football commentator. He is good looking, presentable, obviously has a good knowledge of the sport as both a player and (dare I say) a coach, and is just the type of eye-candy that Channel Nein like. Obviously he'd need to accept a much lower salary.

 

[nightster]

In all fairness to Twenty, he could have a career as a TV football commentator. He is good looking, presentable, obviously has a good knowledge of the sport as both a player and (dare I say) a coach, and is just the type of eye-candy that Channel Nein like. Obviously he'd need to accept a much lower salary.

ahhh Phil Gould and Twent ... together again .... what scintillating commentary with eye candy for the girls and others

 

[Harvies elbow]

In all fairness to Twenty, he could have a career as a TV football commentator. He is good looking, presentable, obviously has a good knowledge of the sport as both a player and (dare I say) a coach, and is just the type of eye-candy that Channel Nein like. Obviously he'd need to accept a much lower salary.

You need credibility to be a commentator.
Oh wait no you don't.
Yep he'd be perfect...

 

[Captain Moondog]

 

[ricardo]

Here I was thinking I clicked on an Albert Hopoate thread hahah...also fk Barrett

 

[The Who]

I note that Tom Wright hasn't managed to crack the Brumbies run-on side.
Perhaps Twenty knew more about his ability/weaknesses than many on this Forum. . . .
(Cue rants about Twenty)

 

[Kevinward777]

I note that Tom Wright hasn't managed to crack the Brumbies run-on side.
Perhaps Twenty knew more about his ability/weaknesses than many on this Forum. . . .
(Cue rants about Twenty)

Well, even a stopped clock gets it right twice a day... and there have also been occasions when the Lurker, the Mole, Weidler and co have actually written about something that ended up coming to fruition.

 

[BOZO]

View attachment 10778

Happy Birthday Champion !!!

 

[Fluffy]

Does anyone think that as Des has gotten older he is going to be less conservative as a coach?

I would say most posters on here do given all the things Des was going to do with our young ones written in the off season, By seasons end he will have half the Harold matts playing for Australia

 

[Fluffy]

Maybe Barrett WANTS to sit out his 600k/year contract and his manager is shielding any offers that are lower.

It does appear nobody wants him as a FG head coach. 600k is too big for an assistant or reggies gig so maybe he plans on taking up one of those for less money after he finishes sucking every last cent he can from us.

Just a possibility and I agree with everything you said..

It would appear that he could be quite good at that roll. got the players going well as a group in 2017 and over achieved then it all came crashing down in 2018. The players talked highly about him most of the time outside of a few (big ego characters) who were punted. Cartwright also appears to sit in that boat.

 

[Class of 96]

With the Turbo and Walker situations, looks like we will be seeing a very early look at Albert. I reckon he will be right up to it.

 

[BOZO]

With the Turbo and Walker situations, looks like we will be seeing a very early look at Albert. I reckon he will be right up to it.

The kid is a gun . We need to load him onto the field ASAP .

 

[The Who]

The kid is a gun . We need to load him onto the field ASAP .

I think you are placing way too much faith in, and pressure on, a kid who has never played against men - let alone First Graders - and who missed the entire 2018 season with an injury.
BTW, have you ever seen him play in the flesh?

 

[BOZO]

I think you are placing way too much faith in, and pressure on, a kid who has never played against men - let alone First Graders - and who missed the entire 2018 season with an injury.
BTW, have you ever seen him play in the flesh?

I have never seen him play in the flesh .
I base my case of him being ready for the big team on others who are better judges than me . Officials and players who have said he is strong enough and good enough to compete in the NRL .
The bottom line is , our coach also have faith in him and has selected him in the 30" MEN" nrl squad . Not in the junior teams , or the development squad and this clearly indicates that young Hoppa is ready to go !!!

 

[Scorpio]

As far as I know he is still recovering from a ruptured ACL.

Waiting a few more weeks or months until he is ready is surely better than setting him back possibly years with another long-term injury.

 

[The Who]

I have never seen him play in the flesh .
I base my case of him being ready for the big team on others who are better judges than me . Officials and players who have said he is strong enough and good enough to compete in the NRL .
The bottom line is , our coach also have faith in him and has selected him in the 30" MEN" nrl squad . Not in the junior teams , or the development squad and this clearly indicates that young Hoppa is ready to go !!!

I'm sure he's been selected on his potential, and the form he showed against boys his age more than 12 months ago. How anyone can be confident that he'll recover from an ACL and be mature enough to cope with such a massive step-up in quality and intensity is more blind faith than science. Let's give him time to settle in before expecting him to be our next Great Hope. It was only a few seasons ago we put that hope on Tom Wright, and he didn't have such a major injury setback. Now Tom can't crack a spot in the Brumbies top 15.

 

[Bearfax]

I'm sure he's been selected on his potential, and the form he showed against boys his age more than 12 months ago. How anyone can be confident that he'll recover from an ACL and be mature enough to cope with such a massive step-up in quality and intensity is more blind faith than science. Let's give him time to settle in before expecting him to be our next Great Hope. It was only a few seasons ago we put that hope on Tom Wright, and he didn't have such a major injury setback. Now Tom can't crack a spot in the Brumbies top 15.

Ponga was an instant success. Wright only started playing football in his mid teens and then that was in Rugby Union. Unlike many juniors that come through the system, he was a late starter and had a lot to catch up. You could see that there were times when he got lost on the field. Genius with the ball, but positioning was something he found hard to learn. Albert is raised in a Rugby League family with a father, uncle and two brothers in or near the top team of an NRL club. He has been nurtured in an environment learning the skills and requirements of the game. Unlike Wright he has come through the junior ranks from a young age and knows what's required of him. No question he'll thrive in first grade and probably rep football in the years to come. Certainly the injury has stalled him, but at his age he'll get back into stride quickly. Barring serious injury or external factors, he'll be a star

 

[BOZO]

I'm sure he's been selected on his potential, and the form he showed against boys his age more than 12 months ago. How anyone can be confident that he'll recover from an ACL and be mature enough to cope with such a massive step-up in quality and intensity is more blind faith than science. Let's give him time to settle in before expecting him to be our next Great Hope. It was only a few seasons ago we put that hope on Tom Wright, and he didn't have such a major injury setback. Now Tom can't crack a spot in the Brumbies top 15.

I have the same faith in Hoppa as Des has for Hoppa. I believe as soon as Hoppa is fit to play he will be used in our NRL team, other wise he would be still nutured like a baby with the other babies in the lower grade . Hoppa aint no baby , he power lifts more than some of our big forwards and according to players like Joel Thompson and DCE , Hoppa is ready for the big time with the big boys
I always believe that when your good enough . You are old enough .

 

[smithy]

My $0.02 regarding Albert...

Will he debut in 2019?
Most likely. He is a representative junior but surely Des didn't just put a then 17 year old in the top 30 just on a whim. Worth pointing out also that until the last two weeks he was not really mentioned as a starting player.

Will he play at fullback this year?
Possibly, but only if Tom is off the field/injured. If he is such a revelation that he takes the fullback role off Tom, on merit, as an 18 year old rookie, I will be gobsmacked.

Will he debut in Round 1?
Not sure. Des is a harsh marker so we should be excited if he does. Hopefully there are no further issues with his knees having ruptured his ACL last year. Playing against u18s is very different to playing against grown men so I would prefer we wait if there is any substantial risk of injury. Though he would surely debut on the wing.

Will he debut in Round 1 as fullback?
Extremely unlikely. For all of the reasons above.

Probably worth asking @Snake or @smithy as they seem to have a good source or two.

Well thought out Ranger.

Short answers Yes. Possibly. No. No.

As you have already noted Albert is coming back from an ACL injury, he wont be rushed. When he is ready to return to the field he will be eased back and move through the grades. Word is he will play 20s, and NSW Cup first. There is even a chance he will start in 18s to get him comfortable and regain confidence in the knee. I would look towards a mid season debut on the wing.