Will Hopoate has revealed the infamous pokes that tarnished his father John's NRL career was supposed to be a joke among teammates.
Hopoate Snr is one of the most divisive figures in Australian rugby league history, having been suspended for a record 45 weeks over 13 seasons in first grade.
The most notorious moment of his career came while playing for the Wests Tigers in 2001 when he was banned for 12 weeks after inserting his fingers into the backside of three North Queensland opponents.
Memories of the incident were revived on Saturday when John Hopoate repeated the act during the Legends of League tournament on the Central Coast.
News Corp Australia published images of the former Test and NSW winger taking to the field wearing a white glove and poking opponents in the backside.
The tournament was not sanctioned by the NSWRL or NRL.
The infamous incident 17 years ago was thought to be nothing more than a moment of madness and designed to put his rivals off their game.
However, Will lifted the lid on one of the game's most controversial episodes, saying it was supposed to be a practical joke for the benefit of his father's Tigers teammates.
"His old teammates have since told me the whole thing was supposed to be a prank to watch in team video sessions," Will wrote on the PlayersVoice website.
"It ended up costing him his personal brand for life, pretty much."
Will detailed the toll the incident wrought on his family and how he and his siblings became prisoners in their own home after media camped outside in the aftermath.
John's career finally came to an end in 2005 when he was suspended for 17 games for a flying elbow on Keith Galloway.
This year he copped a 10-year NSWRL ban for his part in a fight in a park football game which he said was incited by a racial taunt.
Despite his father's obvious failings, Will said he had instilled in him his best qualities including resilience, respect and his Mormon faith.
"People driving by would stick their fingers up and dad, having a short temper, would chase them," he said.
"Kids at school and opposing sporting teams would 'poke' fun at me. My family was all over TV and the back and front pages of the newspaper.
"It wasn't a great period.
"Dad was being portrayed like he was a murderer, which confused the heck out of me, because that was nothing like the man I saw at home day in, day out."
