news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_l ... 356027.stm Thoughts on this?

news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_l ... 356027.stm Thoughts on this?

He's served his time and Wigan have been sensible getting him on a long term contract that I'd imagine will be for far less then his last one.

Looking forward to seeing him back.

He took the punishment on the chin (heehee) and has taken a good course of action in the meantime. It's a tricky thing to determine how one falls into circles of drug addiction and I think getting caught will have been the best thing for him in the long run. By all means he deserves his second chance. We've all made mistakes, apart from me. Good on Wigan, I say, for supporting him when he probably needed it most and for showing faith in him enough to give him such a contract.

But 5 years!? madness

Isn't it dependent on performance?

I haven't read the detail the headline news is sufficient when it comes to Hock - personally I think he should have done a stint in the lower leagues.

Nothing like rewarding a drug taker with a bumper contract.

I really hope Wigan don't make a fanfare of his return. He should be brought back in slowly and with a low key reintroduction.

There is a performance related clause in the contract. He has been training with them so I'm sure they've been in a position to judge his progress accordingly and have given him a Super League contract accordingly, so I don't see why he should play lower league RL if Wigan think he's ready to play for them again.



As I say, we all make mistakes and Hock deserves another chance. On the flip side, how about rewarding the determination to better oneself and overcome an addiction for which we will never quite understand the motives?

Hilarious isn't it? I told a few non-RL fans about this today and they couldn't believe it. Embarrassing for the game IMO.

I'm going to take a different tack because he made an error in taking a recreational drug for which he recieved the deserved ban, I'm more interested in that he is returning as a prop; is that a permanent thing or has his ban given the likes of Farrell, Tuson and Mossop a chance which they have taken, and the best fit for the Wigan squad is to have the returning Hock come into the front-row.

Reckon it's more of a fitness thing, as training on your own is very different to playing in the first team. Or maybe he has just beefed up so much that he is just a monster, only a few weeks and we'll see if he's a contender for the Four Nations.

Pretty shrewd I reckon.
I imagine it'll gave been at a good price with a clause to get rid if necessary.

Silly thing to do but served his punishment.

I doubt there's any clubs in super league that have a squad that's whiter than white whether it be drugs or other serious misdemeanours.

Hock was a good player before, but prone to having mind explosions. I'm curious to see how he'll be now he won't be stoned half the time.

Good luck to the guy. As I understand it, he has used his time away from the game productively and he'll be a better person for it.

I just hope they are making him live with Shaun Wane to babysit him like they do with some of the idiotic footballers who aren't responsible enough to be trusted to live on their own.

The lad has almost done his time.

If Wigan want to give him a 5 year deal so what,they obviously believe in him.

I wonder if, during his lay off, he learned anything about ball retention.

If he did, Wigan have got themselves a player. If he's still the same old (well, older) Gareth Hock he'll be back to his "barnstorming run before dropping the ball in a flurry of elbows and chin" and a 5 yr deal would be a risk.

In terms of the drugs ban, though, he's served it now and we should be reintegrating them (and educating them properly). Some of these guys really are thick as pigswill, I think that's sometimes forgotten.

spot on


ive always bin a fan of him on feild, on his day a verry dangerous second rower, one of the best when hees on form.

5 year deal for an average player whose been out the game for 2 years?

As they say,desperate clubs do desperate things.

When Hock arrived on the scene, he was a raw boned big lad who was a real handful to defences – as people have said, a bit reckless sometimes but very talented

At 27, he would just be coming into his prime and with two years away from the day to day grind of the game he could easily play till 32

If he has bulked up, as reported, then he could make a very good dynamic prop. I expect him to be one of the most dominant forwards in SL and internationally in the next few years

And off topic... I still feel that two years is a harsh punishment for a recreational drug... very few people in the rest of society would lose their livelihood for two years for being caught taking coke

Ignoring the first comment I totally agree with the 2nd part. He should be eased back in and not given a returning hero's reception by the Wigan public. He let the club down and let himself down but everyone deserves a 2nd chance and the guy needs to get his head down and repay the faith the club has shown in him.

He's hopefully learned a few lessons and grown up and he can use the ban as a positve. He was a very good player before his ban but still hadn't reached his full potential and hopefully now with a new focus he can. If he does then we'll have an outstanding player on our hands.

I hate wigan as much as the next person, but from what ive heard, the lad really knuckled down and did hard labour at the clubs request so fair play to him. Everyone deserves a second chance

Good luck to him

That's about the most intelligent thing you've ever posted, Baztie Phippson.

While Hock has been away he has been working closely with the community as well as working hard on bettering himself in his education and rehabilitation. Lenegan said that unless Hock actively turned his life around then Wigan would not be interested, but did say if Hock wants to change and work hard on becoming a better person in and outside of the sport then Lenegan and Wigan would support him.

I think it is great that he has worked hard to turn himself around from where he was and i think it's amazing that the club just hasn't left him to rot. Cocaine is a recreational drug that A LOT of people use. And drug abuse can stem from many different reasons and it is naive and a little heartless to neglect and not show support to those who WANT to rehabilitate.
Hock has done this and Wigan have supported him, his 5 year contract show's not only his commitment to giving back to the club that stuck with him, but Wigan's confidence and trust they have put in him to sticking to his new life.

Always thought there is a distinction between a player taking performance enhancing drugs and one taking recreational drugs (both dumb ideas BTW). I would ban the former for life and sack the one taking recreational drugs, the reasons being that the performance enhancing is cheating, while the other has the consequence of REDUCING the level your performances.

Hock has served his ban and under current rules he can return. Hope Wigan are going to make him do some community work with kids to warn them of the dangers of being a complete idiot like himself.