Hopper named in All-Australian side
Captaining the side in its three National Championships games, the hard-nosed midfielder from Leeton was outstanding.
He almost singlehandedly dragged the RAMS over the line in their first game against Tasmania, his goal and five clearances in the last term inspiring a comeback that fell just two points short.
Hopper again led from the front in the RAMS’ big win over NT in game two, amassing 29 touches, ten clearances, four inside 50s and a goal in the 34-point victory.
Game three was Hopper’s quietest outing, the RAMS side disappointing in a loss to Queensland, but he tried hard all day, kicking one of his side’s two goals, and collecting a team-high 17 possessions.
The 18-year-old was a deserved winner of the NSW/ACT RAMS MVP Award as the side’s standout National Championships performer, averaging 26.7 disposals (16.3 contested), six inside 50s and 8.7 clearances a game.
Following the carnival’s conclusion on Thursday, it was no surprise to see Hopper named as a starting midfielder in the All-Australian side on Saturday.
2015 U18 ALL-AUSTRALIAN TEAM
DEFENDERS: Nick O’Kearney, Kieran Collins, Eric Hipwood, Riley Bonner, Jacob Weitering, Jarrod Berry
MIDFIELDERS: Kieran Lovell, Rhys Mathieson, Ben Keays, Gach Nyuon, Jacob Hopper, Luke Partington
FORWARDS: Darcy Parich, Aaron Francis, Harley Balic, Ben Ainsworth, Josh Schache, Jade Gresham
INTERCHANGE: Sam Petrevski-Seton, Brandon Parfitt, Will Snelling, Jacob Allison
COACH: Paul Henriksen (Vic Country)
ASSISTANT COACH: Adrian Fletcher (Queensland)
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The NAB AFL Under-18 All-Australian selection panel: Kevin Sheehan (AFL), Michael Ablett (AFL), Brenton Sanderson (AFL), Lenny Hayes (AFL), Dom Milesi (Collingwood), Chris Drain (Port Adelaide), Michael Agresta (Sydney Swans), Simon Dalrymple (Western Bulldogs).
