OUT-OF-CONTRACT midfielder Jacob Hopper has been closely inspecting other clubs’ facilities during Greater Western Sydney’s stay in Melbourne but, he is quick to explain, it is "purely for training".
Hopper will be out of contract at the end of this season and isn't in a hurry to re-sign, but is hopeful of extending his time at the club where he is now part of the leadership group after he was drafted from the Giants Academy in 2015.
The Giants have used several clubs’ training facilities during their stay in Melbourne that will be prolonged into a third week, including visits to the iconic bases of Carlton and Richmond, and were at North Melbourne's Arden Street Oval this morning.
"I love playing footy for the club. I just want to make sure we keep winning games and put ourselves in a position to play finals footy,” Hopper said.
"Myself, the club and everyone else involved are super happy with where [the contract discussion] is at.
"If we can get back to Sydney and there is an opportunity to really assess everything, and there is a bit more comfort around it, then we might look to really focus on that."
The Giants would be reluctant to lose the 24-year-old who is an integral part of the midfield that has driven the team’s turnaround from a 0-3 start to the season.
With improved consistency and fitness, Hopper is now averaging career-highs for disposals (26.4, with 12.7 contested), clearances (6.9, fifth in the League), ground ball gets (9.3) and inside 50s (4.3).
While the onball bull’s form all but guarantees his place in the midfield, there is mounting competition for other places with young gun Tom Green and veteran Matt de Boer taking turns to play in the VFL in recent weeks as part of the battle for senior spots.
Captain Stephen Coniglio will be added to the midfield mix soon, as he plays a second consecutive VFL match this week and nears a return that will put more pressure on the onballers.
"It's great to have [competition] as a problem. If you could play everyone you obviously would, but that isn't the way that footy works,” Hopper said.
"It's great to have Cogs back playing footy and we want to get him back as soon as possible. I'm sure we'll find some real balance and make sure that we can all play to each other’s strengths.
"We hang our hat on contested possession and that's something that has kind of been up and down. We want to be tough, we want to be the hardest-working contested possession team in the comp.”
Hopper is set to play his 100th match for the Giants when they take on Gold Coast at Mars Stadium in Ballarat on Sunday.
The milestone completes a neat circle for Hopper who made his debut as a 19-year-old against the Suns in 2016, gathering 32 disposals and earning a NAB AFL Rising Star nomination at his first attempt.
He’ll be returning to his first home away from home too, as Hopper moved from Leeton in southern NSW to Ballarat for his final two years of high school when he also played for North Ballarat in the U18 NAB League.
“It's where my journey kind of started. Ballarat holds a really special place in my heart,” Hopper said.
“I met some really great people and it was probably my first real exposure to team culture.
“But I wasn't fully aware of the climate. It snowed on a Friday when we were at school, then we played on that Saturday. The snow was just swept to the fence line, and I thought: OK, no joke, this is a cold place."
