Jacob Hopper

Jacob Hopper
Hopper with Richmond in February 2023
Personal information
Full name Jacob Hopper
Date of birth (1997-02-06) 6 February 1997 (age 27)
Place of birth Leeton, New South Wales
Original team(s) North Ballarat Rebels (TAC Cup)/Leeton-Whitton (RFNL)
Draft No. 7, 2015 national draft
Height 187 cm (6 ft 2 in)
Weight 88 kg (194 lb)
Position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current club Richmond
Number 2
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2016–2022 Greater Western Sydney 114 (42)
2023– Richmond 28 (10)
Total 142 (52)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2024 season.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Jacob Hopper (born 6 February 1997) is a professional Australian rules footballer for the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL), having previously played for Greater Western Sydney.

Early life

Hopper was born in New South Wales[1] and grew up in the small Riverina town of Leeton.[2] He began playing football at the age of four with the Leeton-Whitton Crows where his father coached. He joined Greater Western Sydney's academy program at the age of 13[3] and regularly gained selection for NSW representative teams in the years that followed. He attended school at St Francis de Sales Regional College.[4] At the age of 17, he began boarding at St Patrick's College, Ballarat[5] while playing TAC Cup football for the North Ballarat Rebels.[6]

He was recruited by the Greater Western Sydney Giants with the seventh overall selection in the 2015 national draft.[7]

AFL career

Hopper made his debut in round 8 of the 2016 AFL season, in a 91-point win against Gold Coast at Spotless Stadium. He was rewarded with a nomination for the 2016 AFL Rising Star,[8] after he collected 32 disposals equaling the AFL record (since 1992) for most disposals made on debut (Brisbane Lion Bradd Dalziell's 32 in 2008 the previous highest). and nine clearances.[9][10]

At the conclusion of the 2022 AFL season, Hopper requested a trade to Richmond.[11] He was traded on 11 October.[12]

Statistics

Statistics are correct to the end of Round 23 2022[13]
Legend
  G  
 Goals
  K  
 Kicks
  D  
 Disposals 
  T  
 Tackles
  B  
 Behinds 
  H  
 Handballs 
  M  
 Marks
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game) Votes
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
2016 Greater Western Sydney 2 10 5 3 65 107 172 32 33 0.5 0.3 6.5 10.7 17.2 3.2 3.3 0
2017 Greater Western Sydney 2 13 4 4 89 133 222 35 73 0.3 0.3 6.9 10.2 17.1 2.7 5.6 0
2018 Greater Western Sydney 2 21 10 14 214 227 441 55 98 0.5 0.7 10.2 10.8 21.0 2.6 4.7 0
2019 Greater Western Sydney 2 23 10 11 303 296 599 73 95 0.4 0.5 13.2 12.9 26.0 3.2 4.1 1
2020[a] Greater Western Sydney 2 17 1 7 159 168 327 40 71 0.1 0.4 9.4 9.9 19.2 2.4 4.2 4
2021 Greater Western Sydney 2 23 10 7 311 296 607 72 88 0.4 0.3 13.5 12.9 26.4 3.1 3.8 15
2022 Greater Western Sydney 2 7 2 1 57 78 135 20 21 0.2 0.1 8.1 11.1 19.2 2.8 3.0 0
Career 114 42 47 1198 1305 2503 327 479 0.3 0.4 10.5 11.4 21.9 2.8 4.2 20

Notes

  1. ^ The 2020 season was played with 17 home-and-away matches per team (down from 22) and 16-minute quarters with time on (down from 20-minute quarters with time on) due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Honours and achievements

References

  1. ^ Polkinghorne, David (17 April 2019). "GWS Giants re-sign Jacob Hopper ahead of Fremantle Dockers clash". Canberra Times. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
  2. ^ Cordy, Neil (20 May 2016). "GWS Rising Star Jacob Hopper out of the wilderness and into the AFL spotlight". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  3. ^ Jones, Mary (17 May 2016). "Celebrating Jacob Hopper's debut". Ladies Who Leap. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  4. ^ "All Australian honours for U15 schoolboys". August 2012.
  5. ^ Walsh, Courtney (7 May 2016). "Young Giant Jacob Hopper a youngster in eye of Riverina storm". News.com.au. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
  6. ^ Wrigley, Brendan (17 May 2016). "Former Rebel Jacob Hopper earns AFL Rising Star award". The Ballarat Courier. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
  7. ^ Buckley, James (6 September 2016). "Jacob Hopper perfect example of GWS Giants academy graduate who now plays AFL". The Age. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  8. ^ Zell, Alison (16 May 2016). "A Debut to Remember". Greater Western Sydney Football Club Official Website. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  9. ^ Warren, Adrian (14 May 2016). "GIANTS Stand Tall Over Suns". AAP. Greater Western Sydney Football Club Official Website. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  10. ^ Curley, Adam (14 May 2016). "Hopper Hype and Mohr's Return". AFL Media. Greater Western Sydney Football Club Official Website. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  11. ^ Twomey, Callum (8 September 2022). "Giant plus for Tigers as mid chooses Punt Rd as new home". AFL Media. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  12. ^ @AFL_House (11 October 2022). "Trade paperwork lodged" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  13. ^ "Jacob Hopper". AFL Tables. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
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