I don't really buy that Barba is a worse defender than Hardaker.

For his size, I think Barba is a pretty good defender, and when you compare them both in the NRL...

Disagree, think Barba is a poor defender. Prime example was Parcells game winning try a few weeks back.

I wouldn't like you to measure me a carpet!

He is 6’3’’ according to Wikipedia

Yep. That's why all the carpets in my house perfectly fit

Not the only worry - I'm expecting this to all end badly...Gleeson, Long, Hock & he's probably the next on a list of disruptive influences that we can do without. Aside from his propensity for talc substitutes & his quite neanderthal attitudes, he'll probably be on a wage way above others who would normally merit better & who actually pull their weight.

Zak Alexander Hardaker (born 17 October 1991) is an English professional rugby league ... Full name, Zak Alexander Hardaker ... Height, 191 cm (6 ft 3 in).
Height‎: ‎191 cm (6 ft 3 in) Weight‎: ‎93 kg (14 st 9 lb)
Position‎: ‎Fullback‎, ‎Centre‎, ‎Wing

I was only thinking about the impact of any legal action on the Wigan club.
Even if Cas do nothing, you’ll have the constant worry of when he’ll inevitabely screw up.

There can’t be any action against the Wigan club. Cas terminated his contract therefore making him a free agent. If he had something in his contract regarding dismissal then that is an agreement with Zak not Wigan. If we sign him then we aren’t taking over his contract because there is no contract and he isn’t going to TUPE over to Wigan. Zaks contract with Cas is now null and void.

Quote ="nottinghamtiger"Where have you found this? The information I can find says he had to pay the wasted costs of the transfer fee spent on him and the cost of his replacement. You might have seen something I haven’t though? In terms of the £150k, you need to remember that Cas had signed him on loan for the whole 2017 season. The £150k fee was for his services from 2018 onwards, so there was no amortised part of the fee. The whole £150k would be considered unamortised.'" https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2010/ ... tu-Chelsea Apparently Hardaker signed a 4.5 year deal in June 2017, hence why at least 8 months (and possibly right up to the day he signs for another club) of it would be amortised. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/43146986

Quote ="nottinghamtiger"Where have you found this? The information I can find says he had to pay the wasted costs of the transfer fee spent on him and the cost of his replacement. You might have seen something I haven’t though? In terms of the £150k, you need to remember that Cas had signed him on loan for the whole 2017 season. The £150k fee was for his services from 2018 onwards, so there was no amortised part of the fee. The whole £150k would be considered unamortised.'" https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2010/ ... tu-Chelsea Apparently Hardaker signed a 4.5 year deal in June 2017, hence why at least 8 months (and possibly right up to the day he signs for another club) of it would be amortised. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/43146986

That’s what I said. Wigan are perfectly entitled to sign him.

You're kidding moto! He's the worst 1 on 1 defender since the post injury Luke Walsh. Spectacular in attack, no doubt, but just terrible in defence.

Apologies I must have misread your comment.

No worries.
My point was in response to another poster who suggested things could get difficult for Wigan. I was pointing out that the only potential difficulty for Wigan if Cas choose to take legal action is the impact it could have in Hardaker’s mental state, and therefore his performance.
He’s nothing to do with Cas now and can sign for whoever he wants. The club who sign him will be free to do so.

it really is cringe worthy when I hear Zac talk about how his no money coming in and are struggling to make ends meet when he's been in the highlight of a good professional career for some time so I hope a good reality check sorts him out,

I wish he had the same bans as other 2 yrs as then it doesn't look as if there was favours to get back into the game,

I will be pleased to see him get back to playing as missed watching him just hope you can contain him from doing anything else stupid, would of loved him at Wakey

What about Barba? What did he get again?

I’m prepared to give ZH a chance at Wigan. I was excited by last weeks announcement and look forward to seeing what an apparently remorseful player can do, now the penny has dropped.

I do however feel his social media posts at the weekend where iljudged and leave me wondering how he can be thick enough to think they’re a good idea, after his 25 minute one-to-one interview about how he has changed etc.
Isn’t he just smart enough to think, ‘I’ll keep my head down and out of the spotlight’?

I am not suggesting he can’t or shouldn’t go out with his mates and consume a few jars, but why would anyone - who is determined, aparrently, to show the world that he has changed - not see that this will raise certain connotations?

It was poor, in my opinion.

Do you really believe that? Wow.

Who really cares, Barba will be back in the NRL next season and Saints will be back to the mediocre side they are

Barba is a different class to ZH; I struggle to see how anyone could deny that. Forget SL, look at the NRL: Barba was a star in the NRL (and will be again, probably). Hardaker was shown to be not really good enough.

People say he's the best full-back in SL. Well, perhaps he is. But he wouldn't get a gig at full-back for *any* of the NRL teams.

Good interview here, with Zak: https://www.wigantoday.net/sport/rugby- ... -1-9177441

Good interview here, with Zak: https://www.wigantoday.net/sport/rugby- ... -1-9177441

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/ ... caine-test RU player gets 2 months. And some think Zak got off lightly!

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/ ... caine-test RU player gets 2 months. And some think Zak got off lightly!

Haradaker's stint in the NRL was off the back of taking the proverbial out of Leeds for over half a season. He was hopelessly out of form and conditioning when he played NRL, and it showed. One thing that to me summed up the difference between the two leagues was how physically weak Hardaker looked compared to most of the backs he was up against. In fact one of the NRL backs to brush him off to score was none other than Ben Barba.

I'm sure the 2015 (or 2017) version would have done a better job, but in his first game his lack of weight surprised the commentators, and one of them (Johns IIRC) suggested he'd be 10 kg (stone and a half) heavier if he was an NRL player.

I would agree with the backs putting weight on over in NRL. Budgie seemed half a stone plus heavier when he returned and 5 yard slower. The backs seem to have that burst of power though when you look at players like Barba it seems more talent than any trainng that gives them an edge.

Purely offensively you might have a point as Barba is a devastating runner with ball in hand whilst Hardaker is only very good (but he is very good). Barba also has the edge passing wise.

There are, however, two sides to being a full back. Hardaker is streets ahead of Barba as a defender and probably worth a few wins a season on that basis alone.

So basically, unless you're just obsessed with the razzle dazzle and you don't care so much about what happens when the opposition has the ball then you could certainly pose an argument that either is the better fullback. It just depends what you need.

One thing's for certain, we (Leeds) have missed him.