St Helens put their unbeaten start to the 2022 Betfred Super League season on the line in a derby clash with Warrington Wolves on Friday; watch live on Sky Sports Arena from 7.30pm (8pm kick-off)
Friday 11 March 2022 07:49, UK
Will Hopoate has not been surprised by the standards he has found being set at St Helens since he joined the club which has dominated the Betfred Super League for the past three seasons.
What the off-season signing from NRL side Canterbury Bulldogs has been surprised by, however, is how grounded his new team-mates remain even with the success they have enjoyed in recent years.
Indeed, that humility is something Hopoate has found runs right from skipper James Roby, a man who will undoubtedly go down as one of Saints' and Super League's all-time greats, to the youngsters taking their first steps at elite level.
"I was definitely expecting dedication and professionalism, and obviously you get that when you're playing in an elite competition," Hopoate said. "But I think I've been more surprised at how talented and humble the boys are.
"Someone like James Roby, he's played for 19-odd years, done everything in the game, and he's such a down-to-earth bloke you can have a chat with.
"He's such a good bloke to be with and talk with, and that's just an example of the type of players and people the club breeds, and that's something I noticed straight away."
Although restricted to just two appearances for St Helens so far after picking up a rib injury in the season-opening win over Catalans Dragons, Hopoate has brought plenty to the table as well.
One of the Tonga international's biggest assets is his versatility, being able to play as a three-quarter or at full-back, as well as having featured in the halves during his career as well.
So far, his two starts have come on the wing, although Konrad Hurrell's one-match suspension means he could shift inside to one of the centre roles when Saints host Warrington Wolves Friday's derby clash, live on Sky Sports.
"That's been his real strength and was part of the reason we wanted to bring him in," head coach Kristian Woolf said ahead of the showdown with Warrington.
"He's a class footy player, he knows how to win, and he's got a real skillset and class skillset about him.
"He knows how to play in big games, so he'll relish this type of environment and whether he's on the wing or in the centres, we know he can get the job done."
So far, St Helens have carried on from where they left off in 2021, winning all four of their matches so far this season.
They go into the clash with Warrington, whose own unbeaten start came to an end at the hands of Catalans in Round 4, on the back of a dominant 42-8 win away to Hull Kingston Rovers as well.
That blistering start to the campaign just underlines the talent Hopoate sees in the group and he is in no doubt his new club would be among the contenders in the NRL as well.
I was definitely expecting dedication and professionalism, and obviously you get that when you're playing in an elite competition. But I think I've been more surprised at how talented and humble the boys are.
"They're right up there," Hopoate said. "You just look at the number of players that got selected in the England squad and that shows the talent in this playing group.
"I noticed that from day one with how hard the boys work and I think they've got the balance right in terms of having fun and being switched on when they need to be.
"It's a great system and structure, and I'm really glad I came to this organisation."
Friday's match at the Totally Wicked Stadium will also see St Helens holding activities around their Club Tonga initiative which has seen them supporting the rebuilding efforts in the Pacific nation following the volcano eruption and tsunami which struck the island recently.
And as one of three Tonga internationals playing for the club along with Hurrell and Agnatius Paasi - Woolf also combined his role at St Helens with being Tonga head coach - Hopoate has been particularly heartened by the way the Saints supporters have rallied behind the cause.
"It's been overwhelming the amount of support, especially for those people back in Tonga to see and receive things that are being sent over there," Hopoate said.
"Obviously with ourselves, the support the club has shown and the boys as well has been appreciated by us, and something we're very grateful for.
"We're sending a lot of rugby league things over there to put a smile on people's faces. When we go back over there, the kids love the Tonga rugby league team and love the sport.
"If this is a small token we can do to put a smile on the kids' faces with this gear - and there is some pretty good gear too! - then that's great."
