Hopoate began his professional league career with Manly-Warringah while he was nineteen years of age, and was also selected for the Tonga national team. Hopoate did not play as a regular first-grade player until two years later in 1995 where he showed his ability by scoring 21 tries, finishing second in the top try-scoring table to teammate Steve Menzies. After many controversies his reputation became greatly tarnished and his career continued on a downhill slide, seeing him become the "most suspended player of the modern era". In 2018 he was given a 10-year ban from any involvement in rugby league.