Jacob Hopper [merged]

[one-eyed]

The player at all 18 AFL clubs that needs an enormous pre-season

Andrew Slevison
SEN
31 Oct 2024



Jacob Hopper

Much has been written and said about Richmond’s decision to recruit Jacob Hopper and his midfield mate Tim Taranto from GWS two years ago.

It hasn’t quite gone to plan as the pair cost plenty of draft capital and a fair bit in salary, and since their arrival the Tigers have not contended while Damien Hardwick, who seemingly wanted them recruited, is long gone.

Taranto has already delivered given he won the 2023 best and fairest and is generally the club’s hardest working and most prolific midfielder.

But so far Hopper has struggled to find his best in yellow and black, mainly because he’s been restricted to 28 games by various injuries.

The opportunity is there for the 27-year-old to take charge of this Richmond midfield group alongside Taranto and help drive the club forward as it rebuilds.

Hopper has played some good games for the Tigers but he needs to get his body right, find consistency and rediscover the form that saw him included in the 40-man All-Australian squad in 2021.

https://www.sen.com.au/news/2024/10/31/the-player-at-all-18-afl-clubs-that-needs-an-enormous-pre-season/

[Francois Jackson]

Lazy bum is what hopper is. Midfield version of Ty vickery

 Should cut our ties year end

[Hard Roar Tiger]

I am not sure he’s a lazy bum but boy would I love a run of injury free seasons from him.

[Siberian]

Lazy bum is what hopper is. Midfield version of Ty vickery

 Should cut our ties year end

Disagree he is solid to adequate when he plays, that's just not often enough,  would trade for a good deal though

[WilliamPowell]

Don't think he's lazy just been cursed with injuries

Will be interesting to see how the change of S&C dept head has in his ability to get over the injuries.

[Francois Jackson]

I've made my assumptions on his time as a  gwsfootballer not just  at punt road. From
Memory he has had one perhaps 2 good year.s.

His time at gws was just as bad as last year. Poor s&c coaches must follow him everywhere 

He has no choice to wake up as he can't use that excuse of having bad luck with another coach.

[Tiger Khosh]

FJ, do you consider lynch lazy? Because he’s missed almost as many games in the last 2 seasons through injury as hopper has done so he ver his entire career.

The guys injury prone, not sure how u can correlate that to laziness other than through your own assumptions.

[georgies31]

Disaster of a trade end of story.Hopefully new fitness guru gets him right.

[one-eyed]

Serpell, however, believes Hopper, who turned 28 yesterday (February 6) is set for a big 2025 season.

“’Hopps’ has been really good. He even said to me he’s done more this pre-season than the past couple of years,” Serpell said.

“He’s run fast and he’s running fast lots. He’s a regular person out at training.

 “I don’t want to put the ‘mozz’ on myself, but he’s doing well.

“He’s bought in, and he excites me.

“He’s good fun. He gets the boys up and about. Sometimes that’s all we need.”

https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/1713470/high-hopes-for-hopper

[one-eyed]

The similarities ex-Giant sees at rebuilding Tigers

Richmond midfielder Jacob Hopper says there are similarities between the Tigers this year to the start of his AFL career a decade ago at GWS

By AAP
11 Feb 2025

JACOB Hopper is in familiar territory - a club trying to climb the ladder as quickly as possible, blessed with a crop of talented young kids.

Where Richmond and Hopper find themselves now has some parallels to when he joined Greater Western Sydney a decade ago, as the No.7 pick in the 2015 draft.

The Giants were only three years old then, full of young talent and yet to make the top eight.

Hopper, now 28, says there are important lessons from his start at GWS that can help at Richmond, which had six first-round recruits in last year's national draft.

"They're golden conversations, I think I'd call them - ones where you can sort of see what's happening and either draw from personal experience or just from seeing it unfold in other people, other players," he told AAP.

"It's what I wish I could have learned quicker. If we can play a role in accelerating our footy club in that way, then it's about trying to see as many of those opportunities as possible.

"These guys are the future of the footy club, they're the players all the fans are going to love and they're going to be Richmond men.

"As much as it's about the future, how can we accelerate our progress as a footy club?"

Now a 142-game veteran, Hopper offers a unique perspective.

He played in the Giants' losing Grand Final against Richmond in 2019, and three years later was traded to the Tigers.

Only a few months after Hopper and fellow Giant Tim Taranto joined Richmond, coach Damien Hardwick suddenly resigned and it finished bottom last season.

But Hopper considers himself a Richmond man and he is determined to help it rebuild quickly.

"It's really exciting and it's really not too unfamiliar for me, just because there was quite a similar situation (when he started in the AFL)," Hopper said.

"A few of the boys have had (premiership) success as well, so I'm still asking them. These (young) guys can teach us a lot as well, they're so eager.

"I love the club and the club feels like home. So any way I can help, on and off the field, that's really important."

Hopper has only managed 35 games over the last three seasons because of injury, but Richmond's new high performance boss Ben Serpell is rapt with his pre-season.

"The body is feeling good. That's the main thing with pre-season, how many bodies we can get out there and get some continuity into everyone," Hopper said.

"Obviously we need to get better and we need these young boys to get to a level as soon as possible, because we can't expect them to come in and be great straight away.

"The expectation is to get back to some of my consistent, best footy. I feel like my body is in a really good spot."

While there are minimal expectations for the Tigers this season, Hopper said it is important they are doing more than just rebuilding.

They will play Collingwood in a pre-season charity match on February 26, raising money for the Foodbank charity.

"We don't know what it holds for us this year, but I know I'm really excited and we still expect to be competitive, put ourselves in positions to win games," he said.

https://www.afl.com.au/news/1267027/jacob-hopper-draws-on-early-days-with-gws-giants-as-richmond-tigers-rebuild

[one-eyed]

Tiger’s mega-move ‘hasn’t gone as he dreamt’ amid spoon pain... but has offered ‘so much more’

Tyler Lewis
Newswire - Foxsports
February 12th, 2025 6:23pm

Jacob Hopper admits he did dream of extending Richmond’s dynasty but says his high-profile trade has brought “so much more” than success.

Hopper, 28, was traded from GWS in 2022 at the back end of the Tigers’ golden run of flags.

Along with fellow Giant-turned-Tiger Tim Taranto, Hopper was viewed as one of the new leaders of an ageing list desperate for more success.

Hopper concedes the lure of a premiership played a part in his decision to leave the Giants after 114 games but is “loving footy” as a Tiger amid their complete rebuild.

“I think, for me and for Tim – I don’t want to speak for him – it was coming to the footy club because we loved the footy club and the people within it,” Hopper said.

“There’s been some change in personnel, but I trust the people who are being brought in are Richmond people.

“Honestly, I love being a Richmond man, I have loved my time so far at the footy club.

“It hasn’t gone exactly how you probably would have dreamt it, but it has offered so much more.

“The relationships I have made, the connections I have made, I feel like I am loving my footy even though I haven’t been able to play as much as I would’ve liked to.”

Hopper has played only 28 games as a Tiger across two seasons but is growing trust in his body after a horror run with injury.

He has turned to pilates as one of several remedies to his injury woes and has lauded Richmond’s new high performance manager Ben Serpell.

“The body is pretty good, it’s in one of those positions where we’ve got a ton of work in,” he said.

“For me and for a lot of the boys, it’s been great to get a lot of us out there and play more footy together, train more, get more run in the legs.

“It’s helped having so many new faces come in as well. Hopefully, they push us and we can help accelerate them as quickly as we can as well.

“It’s been a really good pre-season, it’s been hard work. Benny Serpell has come in and been unreal, we’re all in a really good spot – we’re just looking forward to playing against opposition now, not each other.”

Richmond’s slate of new faces is a familiar picture for Hopper, who was drafted to the Giants after their fourth season in the competition.

He says the Tigers’ eight draft picks are the future and he plans to help fast-track them into stars as quickly as possible.

“It’s probably the first time I have felt it (age) a bit, I’m like, ‘Geez, I am a bit of an older guy here’,” he said.

“It’s not too unfamiliar with my background having a lot of kids come in who just want to play footy, but it’s still unique to have eight come in.

“To be honest, they’ve all been brilliant. It’s been about first and foremost establishing relationships and who they are as people.

“Then it’s been about ‘how can we fast-track them as soon as possible’? Because the reality is we need them right now.

“It’s incredibly exciting for them and for the footy club because they’re the future … them coming in and bringing that effort and energy has been brilliant for us.”

Hopper is excited by each of Richmond’s newcomers but is liking dynamic forward Harry Armstrong.

Armstrong, a 195cm left-footer, drew comparisons to Hopper’s former teammate Jeremy Cameron by his Haileybury College coach and Essendon champion Matthew Lloyd last year.

Hopper didn’t want to put the same comparison on Armstrong but is enjoying seeing him with Tom Lynch inside 50 this pre-season.

“Big H has been really good down forward, I like how he’s a continually head down, work hard operator,” Hopper said.

“I think you’re always trying to make those sort of comparisons. I don’t know who H reminds me of but he’s that in-between height, good above his head but good below his knees as well.

“Working with a young forward like that who I just believe in so much already is super exciting. I think it really helps Lynchy as well who can help him.”

https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/teams/richmond-tigers/tigers-megamove-hasnt-gone-as-he-dreamt-amid-spoon-pain-but-has-offered-so-much-more/news-story/8f2d4ae4e1e61468309e37ff89a2e47b