Just flicking through the Radio Times and I notice the first part of a BBC Radio 5 Live summer series called "The state of...." starts with Rugby League.

A perfect chance to hammer our sport down no doubt! What a pillock.



The state of....rugby league is on 5 live next Wednesday 9pm-9:45pm . An expert panel will apparently assess the health of the game at domestic and international level.

I always wonder why, when a club hears strong rumours about a player having a drug problem, they don't carry out their own testing and disciplinary procedures.

Would players carry on doing it if on the spot tests at training were leading to big fines?

each of the 17 man England elite squad has to let WADA know where they will be for 1 hour each day for potential surprise drug tests.

now, do the math (as the Americans would say) and compare the list of players "surprisingly" left out of the Elite squad with any number of rumours on various messageboards.

The rugby thats dished up week in week out, not only for this year, but for years gone by. The fact that we have a coach who's man management skills are absolute garbage.

We all know Hock has issues and what do we do, not only to help the club, but to help Hock? Nothing.

A Chairman who says nothing. How much more are people going to take.

Was thinking that earlier, it is rather coincidental that some "troubled" top players didn't make that squad.

Why have you got it all wrong here.

You say I say drugs is part of everyday life is rubbish, then you go on to say its true.

Don't localise it to yourself. Somewhere in the UK a deal will be being done as we speak, someone taking drugs as we speak, its part of everyday life. Maybe not for you, but defo for the UK, and for Wigan.

You don't take drugs before work? Did I every suggest Hock took anything before a game? NO, NEVER.

Just because you don't take drugs during the day now means others don't?

Oh come on, surely you're not so naive.

because on the whole, clubs dont want to lose star players.

double standards all round - they will hang a young lad out to dry, but as soon as one of the big boys does something wrong its brushed under the carpet.

Hock is obviously a special needs case for getting caught.

The knowledge within a squad that you can behave however you see fit is far more damaging to a club than losing a star player.

Always wondered who read that, my gran used to buy the double edition at christmas every year

=redDon't say that please. Pemps

It's a joke this and i think for this very reason people should post on here if they see a player off there heads i know people disagree with it but what would you sooner happen the club deal with it or the rfl?

So where do we stand with the cap now will hock come off it?

Say NO to drugs kids.

Chuffin numpty!

Zero tolerance for me, precedent set with Dave Allen, get him sacked and move on.

Culture this, culture that, absolute bunkum.

Hopefully for the sake of his career.

My first thoughts on this were that we should wash our hands of him completely due to him being such a pillock.

However after thinking things through my thoughts are that we should do whatever the RFL hand down which I assume will be a two year ban. For those two years he will be sacked by the club.

Then after the two years peroid if he has shown that he regrets what he has done and if he can prove (by random testing) that he has stayed clean then he can come back on our terms in terms of wages.

As much as people may seem to want him lynched at the moment and I can understand that, I do feel that unless it is something like murder then people deserve a sceond chance. However it would be his 2nd and last chance and after that if he could not learn from this then it would be time to give him up completely.

In the meantime I think it is time to get Lee Mossop back.

It's like talking to kids at times.

You'd presume so.

Like i said it makes a new coaches job that much tougher and it makes Lenagans task nigh on impossible now!

I don't see where we're going to get a world class coach from let alone the 3 top class players we need.

It's time to focus fully on our youth players.

He got a two year ban.
Hock's 25 going on 26. Two years without rugby coming back at 28 going on 29.

definately time for mossop to step up, more money available for next year now allowing us to sign myler and a quality prop. no excuses now lenegan get them signed and get hocks contract terminated.

Im going to presume that the rugby football league will do all it can to protect the game. Whether that will be protecting a GB Star.

UK Sport will be the ones who will dish out the punishment.

Zero tolerance for any drug related offence.

very sad this I feel sorry for the likes of Mr Hogan and Noble they must feel like packing it all in sometimes

Does this mean bailey gets a new deal?

Phil Berry at warrington in 2005, i believe the club didn't even bother to stand by him at any of his hearings, he's quite blase about it on his facebook page *former rugby player:Fooked it upp!*

Despite being angry and embarressed I'm actually quite happy to get rid of somebody who brings the culture within the club down. I really hope Gareth Hock is made an example of and I don't care what he does with the rest of his life as long is it is nothing to do with Wigan Rugby League.

I'm sure the players will have had a team meeting and I hope the minority who may have the same urges felt embarressed, scared, frightened and paranoid about the whole situation. I also hope the academy and reserve teams have a serious dicussion and meeting in regards to the situation. Luckily, most of them will be level headed, sensible young professionals but Gareth Hock is a prime example of somebody who has come through the ranks of the club and is potentially going to ruin his life, self respect and credibility.

This could be a massive wake-up call to certain players and one huge step to improving the dramatically fading culture at Wigan Rugby League.

The Cockayne and Cas reserve player is a perfect example. Hull KR stand by first teamer, Cas get rid of reserve.

If we sack him he might not want to come back to Wigan, he might get a better offer in 2 years time.

I doubt Hock would think that he would want to repay the Wigan fans that he let down, in 2 years time by playing on a reduced wage. I doubt that even registers in Hock's mind.