I don't take a paycut for anyone.

Why when I can get someone else to do it for me?

Good luck with that one, then, Widnes.

Unless it's not true, of course.

As I said, it's just something I heard before Christmas about the people who he was in bother with. I can see it as a reason he wanted to go to Aus but I can't see how Shaun Wane gets tied up in it and it ends up as his fault Hock is leaving.

As you say, it could all be untrue and more than likely is. Basically any renowned hard/bad lad get's in trouble in Wigan and they are invariably linked to this 3rd party wanting to break their legs, or arm in Terry Newton's case, rumoured, allegedly etc, etc...

We don't need to know if he was on a pittance or not and we don't need to speculate if he was on less money for being on parole after taking drugs either. [uThe fact we do not know [iwhat[/i he was paid means we can't judge if his demands for pay rises were unreasonable.[/u

That is the point I was trying to make.

Without knowing why he made his demands and what the circumstances were at the time he made them you can't judge if they were unreasonable or not.

We have just been told what he has asked for and what transpired when he didn't get his demands met and its clear there was a complete breakdown between Hock and the club (not training and trying to get sacked). It didn't happen all at once though and I have seen it happen in my own workplace were over time where people get disgruntled with their employer a bit at a time until they think they are in the worst job the world and paid the least for it.

That said unless he had very good reason to ask for a move to Oz I think he has been shown to be extremely ungrateful for all the help he received and for that alone I am very disappointed in him. At the time of his ban I would have been fine had the club sacked him but given they went the rehab route that was also fair enough. They must have felt like Hock has kicked them in the teeth.

I would still like to hear Hock's side of the story though and we haven't, only Wigan's.

"I have no regrets on leaving Wigan. I thank them for everything they've done, but what's happened since is between me and them."

Hock doesn't sound hard done too there.

I reckon Widnes will suit Hock perfectly. He can do his little cameos which will be lapped up by the fans regardless of whether they're losing heavily, whilst not getting too involved in the hard yards and tackling stints. Widnes are unlikely to be involved in any crunch games which unfortunately Gareth has gone awol from in his time for us.

Which Gareth Hock were you watching? In terms of the 'hard yards' he was, on average, Wigan's 3rd highest metre maker last year behind Lima and Mossop.

As for going AWOL in big games, surely the entire team is guilty of that? In fact in the CC semi final against Leeds Hock was one of very few players to actually have a good game. Last season he performed well enough overall to make the dream team.

Cheers

In the season's 3 biggest games, he was poor in the Cup SF other than scoring a marvellous cameo try. Same again at Warrington in the big league game at the end of the season. Anonymous in the SL semi against Leeds.

The only other really big game he played for us after his ban was the gauging incident against Wire in 2011.

Seeing Wigan RL suffer pleases me immensely. This gives me no pleasure whatsoever.

Probably because we aren't suffering.

A blessing in disguise no doubt, one man isn't bigger than the club, if it's a case of getting a bad apple out of the club then I am all for it. It's hardly going to cost us like it would have done by sending him out to Wire/Saints etc, so Widnes is perfect. Let him rot there and see how he feels at the end of the season when he's fighting it out for the wooden spoon with Salford and others, in front of tiny crowds with nothing to play for, well done Gareth, nice work son!

The guy deserves to rot at the bottom of the table for the rest of his career and you're better off without him frankly.

The same could be said of Sam Tomkins (obviously barring the SL playoff semi final), Brett Finch, Mike McIlorum, Lee Mossop etc. You seem to be expecting Hock to be brilliant in games when the vast majority of the team, including star players and experienced players, have been awful.

Reading IL's statement, it looks like he isn't giving Hock a leg to stand on. The ball's in Hock's court and if he chooses to keep quiet, then i think his silence will speak a thousand words. If you believe what IL has said in his statement and he gave Madge bother too, then Hock's had more than enough chances and if he's not willing to change his attitude on or off the pitch for that matter, he can be left to rot at Widnes. This probably spells the end of his international career too unless McBanana wants a troublemaker in the squad.

Let's be honest, Hock went AWOL during the big games last year and i can't say i think we'll miss him hugely. For every moment of class he had two or three brain explosions and towards the end of the season you could argue he did us more harm than good anyway.

The other guys mentioned have done it in big games.

Let me say that I have been one of Hock's biggest fans, but have gradually come to the realisation that Gareth's game is a series of cameos which break down when the pressure is really on.

Your talking rubbish, when the truth comes out and it always does, you will see there was fault on both sides and bad management has resulted in an untenable situation.

Hock isn't half as bad as we have made out (but you can't blame Wigan for putting spin on it when losing one of 2 world class players we possess)

Not last year they didn't, which is what matters.

It's interesting reading the views on the other SL Boards...

A definate swing to the Wigan club on both the Wire & Saints sites, which as 'arch enemies' I'm slightly surprised (but pleased) at, and much more overwhelming 'support' on t'others.

I know people will argue that there's only one side of the story being told, but there's no smoke without fire, and without a statement from either Mr Hock or his agent, then that's all everyone has to go on.

Absolutely. It was down to Hock that our dominance of the Magic Weekend game was cut dead by getting himself and Tuson (indirectly) red-carded. We were thrashing Saints out of sight before yet another brain-fart.

Granted, that turned into a stunning performance and for long periods a more enjoyable edge-of-your-seat contest, but he shouldn't have put us in that situation.

Valuable and almost unstoppable on his day, but on balance probably too few sparks of genius for the numerous penalties, brain-farts and errors from forced offloads he brings.

Perhaps they expected Wigan to do their usual thing of making 'no comment', and hoped that the usual procession of unofficial online spokesmen would make their case for them ... even though they wouldn't, as usual, offer a single shred of evidence in support.

On this occasion, Wigan have clearly decided enough is enough and got their punch in first.

Anybody else watch the SLTV thing with Hock and Betts?

Its a shame how things went and i do hope he does ok at widnes. But i have never seen someone say the words 'happy' and 'excited' looking so down and deflated even for a rl player in front of a camera its bad.

I wonder if he could turn back the clock he would have kept quiet and stayed at wigan.

Is it just me finds that picture funny?



Awful shirt!

can't bothered reading the 15 pages.

so, hock can live his life however he wants. he can ask for a pay rise every week if he wants, whether his demands are reasonable/unreasonable to anyone but himself are irrelevant, he has the right to not go into work if he wants. on the other hand the club have every right to say no, fine him or whatever punishment they deem fit.

the sooner fans get that players play for money and it's their job, the better.