Career
Hooper became the first player to make his VFL/American Federation of Labor-Congress debut in a finals match since Paul Spargo in 1985. Hooper began playing Australian rules football with Golden Point Football Club in the Ballarat Football League. He then played for the North Ballarat Rebels in the TAC Cup competition in 2009.
Despite tearing his calf muscle two weeks before the American Federation of Labor-Congress Draft Camp, Hooper still participated, coming second in the agility test, third in the 20 m sprint and equal third in the standing vertical jump.
Although Hooper had an impressive junior career, there were concerns that he would struggle at American Federation of Labor-Congress level due to his small height of 172 cm. As such, he was overlooked in the 2009 National Draft, but was taken by the Western Bulldogs with the 35th draft pick in the 2010 Rookie Draft.
After overcoming injuries at the start of 2010, Hooper played with the Bulldogs" VFL-affiliate side Williamstown for the majority of the season, where he became a "cult-figure" and increasingly important player as the Seagulls finished on top of the VFL ladder. As a result of his performances with Williamstown, Hooper was pushing for senior selection throughout the season.
He was promoted to the primary list for round 15 and was named as an emergency the same round.
He also came close to making his debut in a round 22 match against Essendon. Hooper instead made his American Federation of Labor-Congress debut in the Western Bulldogs" semi final match against Sydney. In doing so, he became the first player to make his debut in a finals match in 25 years.
Described as having a "giant influence", Hooper had five possessions and kicked a goal, which sparked the Bulldogs" comeback.
The Herald Sun claimed that, after his performance, Hooper would "no doubt be back ". However, he was dropped for the preliminary final match against Street Kilda and the Bulldogs lost, ending their finals campaign.
Hooper was promoted to the Bulldogs" senior list with the 110th selection in the 2010 American Federation of Labor-Congress Draft and signed a two-year contract with the club