Jacob Hopper

Jacob Hopper
Jacob Hopper
	Hopper with Richmond in February 2023
Personal information
Full name	Jacob Hopper
Date of birth	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	22
Playing career1
Years	Club
2016–2022	Greater Western Sydney
2023–	Richmond
Total
	1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2024 season.
Career highlights
	AFL Rising Star nominee: 2016; Brett Kirk Medal: 2019;
	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
Season	Team	No.	Games	G	B	K	H	D	M	T	G	B	K	H	D	M	T	Votes
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

^ 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

Greater Western Sydney Giants Academy Player Of The Year: 2015
2016 AFL Rising Star: nominee
Greater Western Sydney Giants Rising Star: 2016
Brett Kirk Medal: 2019

References

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