Ropati Sportsperson of the Year
Ropati began his two-year diploma in 2007 alongside fellow Warriors Louis Anderson, Todd Bryne, Nathan Fien, Micheal Luck, Simon Mannering, Grant Rovelli and league icon, Warriors development coach Tony Iro.
AUT tailored the diploma programme to fit in with the players’ demanding training schedule and classes were taught at Warriors HQ, Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland.
Ropati says he used down time to study, adding that taking papers like marketing has given him a deeper understanding of how sportspeople’s behaviour impacts on their team’s image.
“We’ve looked at how people perceive us, such as the public, media and shareholders, and it has helped us manage how we act,” he says.
The annual NZU Blues recognises New Zealand’s top university athletes and celebrate achievements on and off the field. The NZU awarded 39 Blues, one Distinguished Performance, four Outstanding Achievement and one Coaching Award for the 2008 academic year.
Ropati says he is honoured to receive the prestigious award, and he wishes his fellow recipients and nominees the best of success for 2009.
AUT Centre for Executive Education manager, business academic Russell Harray says Ropati is a deserving winner. He says the flexibility of Warriors’ classes enabled players like Ropati to stay focussed on their game as well as achieve good results in their studies.
He adds that many players like Ropati excelled in the classroom with some students getting close to 100% in assignments.
"Ropati and the Warriors were a great bunch to teach,” he says. “It’s clear they have a strong awareness of how marketing and business concepts apply in real life and I’m sure they’ll go on to apply the tools they have learned in their personal and professional lives.”
Harray says it’s been rewarding for him personally to help prepare the players for their next career after rugby league.
“Since completing their graduate diploma, some of the team have moved on to do more study,” he says. “Others, who were forced to take a study break due to injury, are now following Ropati’s lead and have returned to complete their diplomas.”