When Albert Hopoate runs out for Canberra against the Dolphins in Wagga Wagga on Saturday his career is still just beginning but the 21-year old has already done so much just to be there at all.
The Raiders winger will be playing just his 18th NRL game and has far more football in front of him than behind him. He is a long way from what he will one day become but he's also come a long way already and therein lies his triumph.
It's very easy to imagine a different path, one where everything he was supposed to have slipped away, where none of this ever happened to him.
When he was a kid that would have been unthinkable. He might be a surprise packet now that he's averaging 161.1 metres per...
Albert Hopoate was a child star who's NRL career was nearly over before it began. Now he's making up for lost time
Who's the greatest Raider to never have won a premiership?
Think Canberra Raiders greats and your mind races towards rugby league Immortal Mal Meninga, Ricky Stuart, Laurie Daley, Steve Walters, Jason Croker and the like.
Stopping there almost feels unjust, given the sheer amount of talent who passed through the club's four walls and delivered three premierships during an unforgettable lime green era.
2023 NRL Round 9: Raiders vs Dolphins match day guide and preview
Canberra Weekly
2023 NRL Round 9: Raiders vs Dolphins match day guide and preview
