[2] Hooper played rugby league at junior level and lived in Ipswich as a teenager and attended the Bundamba State Secondary College.

He debuted in the Premiership season against Essendon showing plenty of pace, kicking a goal in his first game and racking up an impressive 7 tackles.

In late January 2007, it was revealed by the Lions that Hooper had lost his enthusiasm for the work involved in being a professional football player.

His former Coach Leigh Matthews stated that the club had been working with Hooper to resolve any issues but had stopped paying him wages in the interim.

[8] In December 2008, Hooper was suspended by the Lions for 58 days for several breaches to his playing contract including continually failing to attend pre-season training sessions.

Despite the resurgence of his career, on 6 October 2010, Hawthorn announced Hooper had quit the club and returned home to Queensland to start a family.