Skinny as’ but Lehi defying weight of expectations in stunning rise
Will Hopoate is convinced that his brother Lehi can be the best Hopoate yet, but family members are still stunned that he is playing in the NRL with his slight physique.
“He’s skinny as,” Will says of Lehi. “Me and my brothers are always laughing at him.
“We’ll be having a yarn on mum and dad’s lounge, looking at him and asking, ‘How are you playing first grade like that?’”
Lehi, 19, has been a mid-season revelation for the Sea Eagles after thinking during the off-season that he had done well to simply get a few games in reserve grade.
Despite weighing only 82 kilograms, Lehi has more than held his own against much bigger and heavier wing opponents. He will start on the wing against Cronulla at 4 Pines Park on Sunday afternoon, where victory will ensure Manly host an elimination final next weekend.
With Wests Tigers young gun Lachie Galvin ineligible for NRL rookie of the year, Lehi, who has scored nine tries in 11 games, isin the conversation.
Galvin was banned for two weeks for dangerous contact on Parramatta’s Kelma Tuilagi in round four.
Lehi’s infamous father, John Hopoate, was stunned that Galvin could not win the award
I could understand if he did what I used to do, but for a hip-drop? Lachie would have won, for sure,” Hopoate snr said.
Will, who won a premiership with Manly at the same age as Lehi, 19, and went on to play for NSW, watches Lehi closely.
As an ex-player you look for certain things in a game, and, despite his frame, Lehi has an ability to still find his front with tough carries,” Will says.
“Everyone has 20 or 30kg on him, and it would be easy for him to get picked up and dragged back. But he gets his nose down and finds his front and gets the quick play-the-balls. That shows he’s ready for the physicality and contact.
I’m just as surprised and proud with how he’s going. But he’s a kid who takes opportunities with both hands.
“I’m so happy for him. He’s got me covered in terms of skill and athleticism.
assist.CREDIT: NRL
“He’s at the beginning of his career, but if he keeps his head down and focuses on himself, and doesn’t change the approach to his game, the sky’s the limit.”
John celebrates all the successes of his 11 children. However, while he loves the NRL title and representative achievements Will enjoyed, he maintains that Jamil could have been the best Hopoate of the lot if he had stayed out of trouble
But he’s excited about Lehi’s untapped potential.
“Lehi could easily reach the same heights as Will – he could even be better given the way he’s going at the moment,” John says.
“He hasn’t put a foot wrong yet. He looks like he’s been in grade for years.
“We only spoke about it the other day, how we thought he’d play under-21s and if he went well enough, he’d play a bit of reserve grade. No way did we think he’d play first grade this year.
“He’s laid-back like Will, nothing fazes him. He actually used to drive me crazy with how laid-back he was. Sometimes it looked like he didn’t care before a game or during a game. It drove me mad. There were a couple of times Will used to sneak him into the car and take off before I could get my hands on him.”
Will adds: “Lehi should thank me for saving his life a few times – he should thank me for saving him on those occasions when he didn’t play his best.”
John continues: “Because Lehi was a bit younger than the other boys, I’d make his brothers run at him so he could tackle, and he was never scared.”
Before he made his NRL debut in May, Lehi stood on the
front lawn of the family home on the northern beaches posing for a photo for this masthead, and said he was too young to see his father play.
“There was never any video from the 1950s, so he never went viral,” said Lehi, as an unimpressed John glared at him.
When John played, he was nearly 30kg heavier than Lehi, who is expected to remain on the wing rather than revert to fullback for the injured Tom Trbojevic against Cronulla.
The standout moment for Lehi, according to Will, was the day he took a cross-field kick and then rifled a pass back infield in one motion for a Tommy Talau try against Newcastle.
But despite his stellar rise, Lehi has not let the success go to his head. He still returns home after most games at Brookie and celebrates by playing PS5 with his friends. He’s the best of the Hopoate’s at that, too.
