Albert Hopoate (rugby league, born 2001)
Albert Hopoate (born 25 February 2001) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a and for the Canberra Raiders in the NRL. He previously played for the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles in the National Rugby League. Background. Hopoate is of Tongan descent through his father John Hopoate who was an Australian, Tongan and New South Wales State of Origin representative. His elder brothers William Hopoate and Jamil Hopoate also play in the NRL for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and Brisbane Broncos respectively. Albert played his junior rugby league for the Beacon  Hill Bears, before being signed by the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles. Playing career. Early years. Hopoate rose through the grades at the Manly-Warringah club, playing for their Harold Matthews Cup and S. G. Ball Cup sides, also appearing for the New South Wales under-16s side in 2017. He also played for the Australian Schoolboys rugby union team, New South Wales National Youth rugby sevens and Australian World Schools rugby sevens teams in 2017. 2020. In August, Manly agreed to loan Hopoate to the New Zealand Warriors for four games. A week later, the deal was cancelled after Manly required  Hopoate due to an injury to centre Moses Suli. Hopoate made his NRL debut for Manly-Warringah in round 16 of the 2020 NRL season, a 6–30 loss to the Melbourne Storm. In December, Hopoate signed a one- year contract with the Canberra Raiders starting in 2021.