Hop on top: New Tiger living the dream after 'frustrating' seasonRichmond recruit Jacob Hopper tells Josh Gabelich about his move from GWS alongside good mate Tim Taranto
By Josh Gabelich
afl.com.au
20 October 2022JACOB Hopper was at a mate's place in Melbourne when it all went down last Tuesday afternoon. Just when he thought his trade from Greater Western Sydney to Richmond was going to have to wait until deadline day, his manager Robbie D'Orazio called to tell him it was finally done.
After months of waiting, the paperwork had been lodged and approved.
Soon, Richmond GM Blair Hartley was on the other end of the phone after executing the Tigers' second piece of business with the Giants, following Tim Taranto's move to Punt Road on the opening day of the Continental Tyres AFL Trade Period. Then it was time to speak to GWS GM Jason McCartney, before sharing the news with family and friends.
After attending the wedding of GWS co-captain Stephen Coniglio days earlier – while his future was still up in the air – Hopper could drive to Sorrento that afternoon with the knowledge his future was sorted ahead of Phil Davis' wedding on the Mornington Peninsula.
Last week was all about saying goodbye, but now the dust has settled on the career-changing move from a club with the second-lowest membership base in 2022 to the club with the second-highest, from a start-up franchise to a powerhouse that was founded in 1885.
Having spent most of September travelling through Italy, Switzerland, France and England, Hopper is busy organising the logistics of relocating from New South Wales to Victoria, counting down the days until day one of pre-season at the Swinburne Centre.
"It is now very real. I've got to say goodbyes and get my life sorted. There is a real excitement and eagerness now to get started," Hopper told AFL.com.au this week.
"Most off-seasons you try and enjoy your time off and you're not overly looking forward to getting back and into it all. But at this point, there has been so much talk and it's been such a long process, now there is a real eagerness to get into training, get to know new teammates and new staff."
While Taranto was the focus of trade speculation from the start of the season – and the general consensus was Tanner Bruhn would request a trade back to Victoria by the end of his first deal – Hopper had a contract with the Giants for 2023 and didn't emerge as a trade target until the midway point of the season.
By that stage of the year, Hopper had played only once due to a nagging knee injury that required a second round of surgery in a matter of months, after he pulled up in pain following the round one loss to Sydney.
It meant while Greater Western Sydney's season was going from bad to worse in his absence – leading to the departure of Leon Cameron after nearly a decade at the club – Hopper had the time to carefully consider where he wanted to play his football long-term.
"I had more time on my hands than I anticipated this year, that's for sure. I was trying to get the knee right early in the year. There was an opportunity to be explored. It was great to be able to enter into the process pretty open-minded about everything," he said.
"I love Sydney, I love the Giants and I loved my time there as well, so it wasn't something I went into light-heartedly. I wanted to meet with as many people as I could and have open discussions. Geelong were part of that process as well. It just felt really right with the Tigers. If it was going to get done, it felt like the Tigers was the place for me.
"There wasn't a definitive point where I said yes or felt like I was going to explore leaving the Giants. I think it was just meeting the people inside the building. I'm halfway through my career now and you want to be with people that I can have the most success on and off the field with."
After a 2021 campaign where Hopper established himself as a star by earning selection in the 40-man All-Australian squad and polling 15 Brownlow votes to finish third in the Kevin Sheedy Medal, not much went to plan this season.
"Hindsight is a beautiful thing, isn't it? If we had our time again, we'd probably do some things differently. I feel like that's the case with injuries that don't turn out the way you want them to. It was just a frustrating time," he said.
"I got impatient at times which cost us. Once I was able to cool the jets, I could focus on really getting it right. It was hard to sit and watch the footy that the boys were playing and not getting the results we wanted. It was a tough experience but it was good to get some footy in the back end."
Rarely do two players from one club land at the same club in the same trade period, especially proven stars. Steven May arrived at Melbourne 12 months after Jake Lever. Tom Lynch moved to Punt Road two years after Dion Prestia.
But that's what happened during the trade period. Richmond convinced Hopper and Taranto that there is enough room for both of them in Damien Hardwick's midfield, then went to work satisfying the Giants' demands.
Hopper, like Taranto – and most Giants – didn't grow up in Sydney, but matured at GWS after arriving as an 18-year-old, following five years in the club's academy. Throughout the year the pair shared the uncertainty, anxiety and excitement of making the decisions they ultimately made.
"It's really unique that we've both landed at Richmond. We were just supporting each other as mates during the year. It initially just started with us catching up and checking in about a move. We never thought this was a possibility," he said.
"We both love playing footy together; we feel we play our best footy together. It was only late in the process where we thought, 'hang on this could actually happen'. Then we got really excited about that. We were just holding on and praying that we'd get there in the end."
Both Hopper and Taranto have inked seven-year contracts with Richmond, committing the best winters of their careers to the yellow and black. Hopper knows that decision has been met with derision in some quarters – especially in the wake of Brodie Grundy's departure from Collingwood – but he is comfortable with the scrutiny and expectation that comes with putting his signature on that piece of paper.
"I think it was something that at this point of my career I wanted to sign a long-term deal," he said. "I've signed a couple of twos. I wanted to get to the halfway point of my career and commit long-term and focus on being a part of a club and trying to make it as successful as I possibly can.
"I'm super stoked to say I'm a Tiger for seven years. It's a long-term commitment from both me and the club."
https://www.afl.com.au/news/858816/hop-on-top-new-tiger-living-the-dream-after-frustrating-season
