Well looking at those poll results, a few of you (or possibly the saints and wire trolls) are going to be disappointed...

There all pray wigan sack him so in 2 years time they can try sign him

does anyone really think that he will be seen within pro RL ever again, he will go further of the rails as he is a tool of the highest order, he will get more involved with the world that seems to gravetate towards and we will be seeing more and more Dale Laughton style storys in the papers, he is a lost cause let him go.

Best news i've heard in regards to Hock in weeks.

Wigan would be stupid to let him go and not have any sort of document which says we either get A-first refusal on him or B-we get compo if he signs for someone else.

People can moan all they want about how he’s a drug cheat etc but at the end of the day other clubs won’t think twice about picking him up in two years time and with the considerable on field talents he posses it only means it’s us who lose out in the long run.

If we stick by him and in two years time he’s washed up so be it let him go then but we’d be stupid not to take that first look at him.

Exactly my feelings also

Mine as well.

Now, im no employment expert, but I very much doubt you could sack someone with conditions such as a first option should he return to rugby league in 2 years.

It's a simple issue of holding a registration.

You can end someone’s contract but still hold their registration to play RL –look at Pryce and Harris for examples of this. We should at the minimum hold his registration meaning we get first refusal or a compo.

Why can't we also sign a pre contract agreement with him 2?

We could state in the pre contract that we can terminate that he gets regular drug test and that we can terminate the contract at any time should he fail those drug test or should he return after his two year ban in a unfit state to play RL.

Again, I cant see it. The poster I quoted said they would be silly to let him go with out something in place so that they have first option. By letting go, I thought he meant sacked which again, you wouldnt have his registration because he is sacked. I think a way around this, is keeping him employed. In what capacity I dont know, but if you sack someone, there is no way you can keep their registration.

Pryce and Harris is different. They werent sacked. If Hock agrees to being sacked, but signing a pre contract agreement, I would imagine this is possible yes. But by just sacking him, there is no way you will hold his registration, or at least if you tried and it was challenged I would imagine the challenge would be successful.

Ok instead of sacking him why doesn't Hock just sign a 'contract' of employment with someone else for two years and we simply let him go that way? Thus it would be the same situation as Harris or Pryce as they left the sport to work somewhere different?

Hock is going to have to get a new job either way so we may as well do it that way rather than just sack him out of the blue.

He should be sacked we dont need drugs in rugby league or any sports, We need to send a message that it will not be tolerated at Wigan or any other club.

As I said, my original post was towards you and I thought you meant by letting go you meant sacking. If you sack him, you arent sacking him from rugby league, you are sacking him from your club which means you cant hold his registration. Pryce and Harris went to play a different sport.

There will be ways to hold his registration etc, im just pointing out that you cant do that if you sack him

Wigan RL needs a shake up top to bottom - Sacking Gareth Hock should be the start of a new era for this club , the end of the little boys club who take playing for wigan lightly. The symbol of keeping him would send out the wrong message , as for sending him out into the community - what would be the point in that - "listen kids dont take drugs but if your good enough Wigan will still keep you anyway"

From my understanding he became de-registered as sonn as his A sample was found to be positive.

My initial reaction was to sack him.

But everyone knows Gaz Hock is thick, they know he loves his recreational drugs and they also know the one thing he is good at is rugby league.

If we can keep him on in some non playing capacity and hel rehabilitate him then I'd certainly keep him. We'd then have an awesome player waiting in a couple of years.

It will also help prevent him getting into prison.

What ever happens lets hope it works out best for the club.

Just a thought but why would the club want to offer a role to a person whose stupidity has tarnished the name of the club and let them down extremely badly?

I think a lot of people give him a role simply as a title, to hold him to the club.

Not to take any active role, apart from his participation in rehabilitation.

his registration with the RFL will be cancelled.

For all his faults he's one of ours - signed at 17 probably involved at the club before that and worked for us for 8 years - all his adult life. Basically he's still the kid who turned up for his first day's training on a BMX bike. So given that he isn't the most academic of men Wiagn have had a significant bearing on how he has turned out - warts and all. We aren't talking about an Aussie on a short term contract but one of us.

So as a responsible employer - notwithstanding his abilities - offer him all the help and support possible.

I don't see the point in Hock hanging around the club. I cannot see what he would offer and I certainly do not agree that Wigan should be paying him anything.

However, if the rules allow I do think Wigan should be able to keep his registration for when his ban is up.

I have been torn to form an opinion on this, as on the one hand I do think that he should be punished, but I find it hard that there are other players playing in SL who IMO have done far worse, and more harm to other people, who are allowed to continue playing by their clubs.

I think wigan will do the correct thing and sack him. That's the only option wigan have really as he will be banned for next 2 years.

I'd be very shocked if he wasn't sacked.

It's a shame and waste of raw talent. It's a blow for wigan and England.

I hope he learns his lesson and comes back in 2 years and shows just how good he can be.

On the flip side I think mossop looks to be top class player and take hocks place.

I always understood it to be that if you did something like that you - in effect - sacked yourself. There is no doubting he is a fool and I bet he feels really great right now but we all make mistakes and I suspect there are a number of other players - not at Wigan I might add - who are thinking along the lines of "There but for the grace of God go I". I don't know how often they test players but it needs doing regularly and make sure it is wiped out of the sport altogether.
Personally I would like to see him retained at the club in some role if it is possible although whether he deserves it is open to some debate.
Hope you learn from it Gaz - you are a great talent that has been lost to us and a big part of your short playing career has gone un-necessarily.

I'm torn. I have some sympathy with this 'cast out the bad apple' approach as this incident is the clearest example of the poor culture & attitude that is all too obvious at the club. But, I'm all for forgiveness & redemption. In an ideal world, he'd put this behind him, come back in 2 years, start knocking lumps out of the opposition and add something special to the squad, culminating in a Man of Steel award.

If I was Lenegan I'd tell Hock to put a phoney Italian accent on and get his head down in Rigaletto's for a couple of years. Come back all forgiven.