Will Hopoate is a spent force...slow, one dimensional, a turnstyle...if Gutherson leaves, that doesn't mean we need Will Hopoate.
I also notice that Weedler posed the Hopoate angle as a question, meaning he has heard nothing, but is acknowledging his own stab in the dark.
Whilst I think the Hopoate angle is bogus, I do think there could be some truth to Gutherson leaving...he knows he is a fullback and with Snake sealed for another two seasons and Tom T the heir apparent, he can go to a club like the Eels and battle it out with Michael Gordon (hardly a scary prospect) for the one jumper.
I fail to see how Manly can provide a path for him and probably like Bennett with Ashley Taylor, feel they should not stand in his way.