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Pointing the finger NRL blames Hopoate for damaging game's image
MELBOURNE (Reuters) -- Even by the standards of the macho world of Australian rugby, where drink, drugs and violence make regular headlines, John Hopoate's downfall was bizarre. Australian rugby league attracts scant interest in many parts of the globe but media worldwide carried the story of Hopoate being suspended for "interfering" with three opponents by sticking his fingers up their backsides during a match. Though some in Australia laughed at Hopoate's behavior, rugby officials saw nothing funny and banned the Wests Tigers winger for 12 weeks. On April Fool's Day, as pressure from sponsors, the media and fans mounted on Wests Tigers to sack Hopoate, the 27-year-old Tongan with five children quit the club. West Tigers coach Terry Lamb told the Sun newspaper he was aware of Hopoate's tactic and thought it was funny. But as the National Rugby League (NRL) struggled to salvage a public image already battered by drug bans, drinking incidents and punch-ups, Lamb's reaction looked increasingly inappropriate. Last month, two Wests Tigers players, Craig Field and Kevin McGuinness, were given six-month bans for taking cocaine and ecstasy while their teammate Matt Seers was investigated over a nightclub incident. The Northern Eagles fined two of their players for being involved in a fight in a bar and a Canberra Raiders player was assaulted in a nightclub brawl. Two years ago Australian skipper Brad Fittler was found drunk outside a Sydney police station, unable to tell an officer where he lived. Eleven days later Hopoate himself was suspended for eight weeks and ordered to seek alcohol counselling after arriving at training for Manly in an "unacceptable state." The same year, two Canberra players were fined A$10,000 (US$4,900) and sent home from training after arriving drunk. Family shame Two Saints players traded blows at a wedding in January 2000 and a year later a similar incident occurred between former Manly teammates Terry Hill and Mark Carroll. Hopoate too has served suspensions and paid fines for violent incidents both on and off the field while with his former club Manly and with the Tigers. After the latest incident, Hopoate was contrite, telling Sydney's Sunday Telegraph that he was embarrassed by his actions and the shame it had brought upon his family. "I will emerge from this a better person -- I can't believe what I have done," said the player, who reportedly received a settlement of A$24,500 (US$12,160) when he quit Wests Tigers. "I don't know why I have these brain explosions. I'm going to get counselling." In the immediate aftermath, two rugby union clubs were reported to be considering signing Hopoate but they played down their interest after Australian Rugby Union chief John O'Neill intervened. O'Neill told reporters: "I wouldn't be in favour of rugby union taking on Hopoate. I really hope (the clubs) have thought through the issues and through the repercussions." One of the clubs, Warringah, who had said last week that Hopoate deserved another chance as "a family man and a devout Christian," backtracked Monday. They issued a statement saying: "The club has considered the John Hopoate situation and has determined that Mr Hopoate does not fit into the 2001 playing program." Sydney rivals Randwick said they would consult their sponsors before deciding whether to approach Hopoate. Role model Australian rugby coach Rod Macqueen, captain John Eales and former Randwick and Wallaby player David Campese all questioned the merits of a club taking on Hopoate. "Character is just as important as ability when you are recruiting and the act he committed in the field was despicable," Eales said. Macqueen said: "I can't see how Hopoate would fit into the rugby ethos," while Campese asked: "Is he the right role model for the kids?" The New Zealand Cancer Society were quick to take advantage of the situation, using a photograph of Hopoate's unusual tactics in a newspaper advertisement to encourage men to consult their doctors if they were worried about symptoms of prostate cancer. "It won't hurt a bit -- promise," read the caption. Lawyers for Hopoate said the photograph had been used without permission and the player was considering legal action. Chris Anderson, who coached Australia to victory in the rugby league World Cup last year, said Hopoate's 12-week ban was insufficient punishment. "Is it a suitable sentence for someone who has caused our game to be mocked across the country and across the world, even in the U.S. where rugby league hardly rates a mention?" Anderson wrote in a newspaper column in The Sunday Herald Sun in Melbourne. Wests Tigers president John Chalk said Hopoate was in a "fragile state" and tearful when he left a club meeting with the words: "I'm going off to church to pray for the players." Cynics suggested he might need to say a prayer for the image of the game itself as well.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
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