The Toyota Forklift Raiders have received a double lift ahead of Sunday’s match against the Sea Eagles, with Albert Hopoate and Jordan Rapana signing new deals with the club.
Hopoate has re-signed for two seasons which will see him remain with the club until the end of the 2025 season, while Rapana has signed a one-year extension for the 2024 season.
Both Hopoate and Rapana have been in top form for the Green Machine over the past few weeks, with both players finding the try line and helping the Raiders on their current five game winning streak.
Hopoate, 22, has improved in leaps and bounds in 2023 and his career best form has seen him rewarded with consistent first grade selection.
“It was a no brainer for me (to re-sign) and it was great to get Joel (Carbone) and my manager together and make it happen and I feel very blessed,” he said. “It’s been a really good development stage for me over the past couple of years and I’ve great role models here like Jordan Rapana and Nick Cotric who have played over 100 games, and I’ll look to keep learning from them.
“I’m just looking to keep playing well and try and secure a spot and play as many NRL games as I can and keep learning.”
Rapana, 33, will continue his stellar NRL career for another season in green, with the Raiders fan favourite still playing his best football. He said physically he is in good condition, and he’s still got the drive and passion for the game he loves.
“I’ve surprised myself with how my bodies been holding up and I’ve decided to go again for another year. I want to thank the club and Stick (Ricky Stuart) for giving me another opportunity,” Rapana said. “At my age form plays a big part of re-signing and I want to keep playing well. We’ve still got a long season ahead of us and we’re hitting some form and I’m looking forward to finishing this season strong and then carrying that into next year.”
Rapana said the opportunity to help guide the next generation of Raiders was something he’s also enjoying and helping them on their career journey at the club.
“Its massive, sharing my knowledge and experience of the game with those young fellas is massive for the club, as those guys have bright futures and where I can help, I’m more than willing to do so.”
Rapana currently sits on 99 career tries with 94 of those for the Raiders and said it’s a couple of milestones he’s looking forward to achieving.
“It’s a cool little achievement, but the most important thing is winning games and making finals and if I can get those little accolades along the way that’s pretty cool.”
