I heard a whisper that Hock is set to be a Wire for 2014 and not heading for OZ after all.



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" Rugby gossip is a bit like golf; all you need is a player, a club, and a load of balls"

He's going Salford.

Its no secret that dr cuckooland tried to throw everything at him to get him to sign but that was rejected. Wire alledged stealth move comes following a breakdown in oz...!

There was a rumour last year that he tried to force a move to us before going to Widnes on loan. We had no room on the cap and Wigan wouldn't sell to us is what I heard from a fairly reliable source.

I heard that too, only more like Wigan wouldn't let him go to wire, wire could have offloaded to get room on a loan deal easily.
Sorry about repeated post. Smartphone was playing up.

We had several of our players on loan deals at other clubs so prob we wouldn't have needed to off load.

It's not unfeasible, it's unlikely but Hock the player is top quality, not sure I'd want the baggage that comes with him though.
Objectively his game suits our style, hits the line hard and looks for the offload, plays mongrel in defence, tough and uncompromising. It's not as far fetched as it seems but personally, no thank you.

Doctor Nocash lives in Dreamland....The latest *nailed on* signing according to the Salford board is Sonny Bill Williams.

I think he's a thug first and foremost and a rugby player second, which I why I don't want to see him at Wire.

Hock up the left
Asotasi up the middle
Westwood up the right

Sounds terrorizing!

He reminds me of an Alan Rathbone. Terrorizing defences and a motivation monster of a player.
Better in our team than against it I say.

Pretty much how I stand on it. You obviously wouldn't turn down a player of Hocks ability, like you say it's the baggage that comes with it.

Not sure where he'd fit in either. Trent still has a year left and Benny is going nowhere. It would also be detrimental to the development of Currie and possibly Laithwaite.

No doubting his physicality but TS always talks about the quality of the man, the person and for me Hock would fall at this hurdle ..... watch him sign now !!

Waterhouse hasn't exactly filled the shoes that Anderson left.
He'ed be surplus to requirements for the opportunity of Hock for me.
Waterhouse may do a job in the front row now he is aging. We're down a prop and heard little more of the james graham rumours to say that he in still on the radar?

Waterhouse is a fantastic player. Completely different type of player from Anderson.

His work rate is up there with the best in the league in defence and it seems to unnoticed what he does for our attack. The fact it often takes 3-4 players to stop him opens up the play elsewhere and draws the defensive line towards him.

I wouldn't swap him for Hock but then I'm not Smith.

Don't get this downer on Trent Waterhouse by some people, do they actually watch the games? He has a terrific work rate, is excellent in defence, plays long minutes and not much gets down his side from the opposition when they are attacking.

Ah, just seen your post Fletch ...... agree with you then !!

Simple - He signs and there'll be one season ticket holder less next year.

You'll give up your ST if Hock signs? Deary me today.

Broomhead and Gatcliffe said in France last year that TSmith will only look at players with their heads screwed on. They said TS said no to a bid for Chase on this basis.

That said, he does also have a rep of nurturing players who may be slightly wayward, like Bridge, Briers so not completely unfeasible.

What do we know about Hock off pitch anyway (apart from the drug issue)?

If he signed so be it, I wouldn't be happy but there's no doubting he's not a player that leaves anything in the dressing room.

I wasn't chuffed with Nikau and ending loving the bloke to pieces, so much I'd put him in my favourite 13.

I would like to see hock in a Wire shirt playing against Wigan it adds spice to the game somewhat been missing in our game over the years

So what has changed at Wigan then to allow them to sell to us....?

he's still registered to Wigan, Parramatta have paid Wigan Nothing. If he renages on his Eels deal then he is still a wigan player they wont sell him to us ...a no story by the looks of it.......

but why they would then sell to the mighty Salford who are going to win things next year with Sonny Bill down at Barton I dont know?

It is an interesting question to ask where he is going.

We hear that he gave up Oz because his partner is having a baby, so presumably he will not be going to another Oz club. And he will cost around £150-200,000 from what we are led to believe. How many clubs can afford that ? Leeds could pay it, but Hetherington has short hands and deep pockets. Hull spent last year, but don't seem up for it this. Unless I have missed someone, that only leaves Mr Koukash and Simon Moran. We have perhaps spent £30-40,000 on England, but I think we have also bought the golfer and lent him back for next year. Presumably that was quite expensive- £150,000 ? So we may not have the cash for this sort of deal, even if Harrison was looking forward to packing down with Hock. Yes, the club could save a bit of money by getting him to do the 'addictive substance' talks to the U16's and U19's next year, and TS would have been delighted at the team spirit that Hock would have engendered, but I suspect we do not have the cash.

So that might only leave Salford to make a bid. Or, Wigan may have a new coach next year and decide to keep him. Or they might loan him out for another year.

Or, all the above is a load of bollox and we have already signed him to plug our BR gap, where we only have Trent, Bennie, Ben, Currie, Laithwaite, Bridge and Grix to make do with for next year.

Horatio and Asgardian posts represent my feelings.

Hock - no thanks.

TS inherited a number of players with 'problems' of various sorts (allegedly) and he seems to have sorted them out, but he did get Joel with his 'history' so it could happen. I just hope not as we're not exactly short of quality 2nd rowers and have some excellent youngsters waiting in the wings.