The only drawback being the loss of £75K off the cap, assuming Zak on £150K.

There's every chance that it was, cocaine works as a topical anesthetic but isn't one for injection, injectable drugs like Novocaine and Lidocaine replaced cocaine use in dentistry. In the 60s it's likely Lidocaine was injected. The Dangerous Drugs Act of 1920 made cocaine illegal.

Total RL are running a story saying his signing will be accounted imminently and that "The Warriors have now signed the England international, whose legal team was able to successfully argue that his ban should be reduced due to “exceptional circumstances.”"

Says on the Castleford forum with it being only a fourteen month ban that he is trying to get out of the contract and go back to Cas.
And a Leeds fan says he hates Wigan, all bull sh-t I suspect.

he can't "go back" to Cas just like that - they sacked him. he also can't walk out of a contract he hasn't officially signed yet either! farcical.

I'm beginning to think Wigan may have signed him just to flog him a year or two later to make some coin though!

Be very surprised if Cas would have him back. Sacking a player for having done this so apparently taking the moral high ground but then reinstating him just because the ban wasn't as long as you thought totally undermines any moral kudos the club got for getting rid. Remember they sacked him before they knew the punishment and if they really wanted him back even the full two years was not prohibitive to a player of his age. So I'd have expected them to stand by him from the outset, not opportunistically suddenly want him back.

Don't forget Steve Gill is stepping down at Cas allegedly for sacking Hardaker too quickly.

That sounds a bit odd especially as I thought Hardaker admitted the offence. OK you could still argue he was rash but to resign orbe given the elbow for sacking a player testing positive for drugs is being punished for reacting in a way many would agree with. Getting rid of the bloke who sacked the player caught using drugs would make it look as if Cas players can do what they like and the club will put them before those running the club.

If he had signed a contract with us and wanted to get out of it all he would have to do is go out and get drunk and thump somebody ( sounds like a regular night out for Zak ) and we would then probably terminate the contract. In all seriousness, if he had signed and has changed his mind I couldn't see Wigan keeping a player who didn't want to be here.

Maybe not but then you'd have to ask what other decisions had been made on the assumption he was signing, such as letting other players leave and where that left the clubs recruitment and squad for 2019

Wishful thinking from both of those posters.

Agreed. shouldn't be too long before all the rumors are put to bed and his 2019 club will be sorted.

Does that mean League Express are right?

Just seen the Leeds fans talking about this, there is a documentary on Amazon Prime "As good as it gets" and among other things Zak recollects how he would have a few too many on a night and get it at 4am and be up for training a few hours later. Nothing new I know, but it's an interesting doc to watch if you have prime.

My understanding is that Hardaker has been given quite an ultimatum by Cas - sign for us or we’ll be starting legal proceedings to recoup the £150k transfer fee and the cost of your replacement.
If he’s already signed for Wigan (which I believe he has) he’s now in a difficult position. Whilst signing for Wigan might have looked like a good idea at the time, it’s potentially going to cost him a lot of money.

How can they proceed with legal proceedings, he took coke and was sacked from his job. If they wanted to keep him they could have stood by him, seems because he is available to play next season they have spat their dummy out.

This is a common misunderstanding.
By taking cocaine and breaching his contract, Hardaker committed what is know as the repudiatory breach of contract. When an employee does this, the employer is entitled to dismiss them and pursue them for any financial loss (which would also include some pretty steep legal fees).

The precedent is already set. Adrian Mutu (Chelsea player) took cocaine and was sacked by the club, who then successfully sued him for the cost of the “wasted transfer fee” and also the cost of his replacement. Mutu appealed to every possible court but the decision stood.

Rugby players are employees like everyone else. It’s simple employment law that employees are liable for any financial loss to their employer that is caused by an employee committing a repudiatory breach of contract.

Once this was pointed out to Hardaker, his deal with Wigan suddenly seemed less appealing. He’d be better re-signing for Cas on a much lower wage than signing for Wigan and fighting a legal battle he is likely to lose. I reckon he’d be looking at £250k if Cas are successful in suing him. He’d likely lose his brand new house and be paying Cas a significant part of his salary for the next few years.

That’s one way of motivating a guy to play for you!

That rumour just doesn’t stack up. Why would Cas do that? Force a guy to go back on a low deal against his will after sacking him.

It might not be against his will. He doesn’t want to move away from his new house and his mummy.
I’m not sure he’d be on a low deal either. He’d just be on a deal that meant he wasn’t sued for a massive amount of money.
At the end of the day, Cas are a business. If he signs elsewhere and we have the opportunity to recoup our loss, it would make business sense to do so. Nothing personal, just the way things are.

I’d rather he sign for Wigan than come back to Cas.

Then you won't be disappointed.

I don’t think it’s quite as clear as you think quoting the Mutu case.

As you have said there is a precedent but such a case would be incredibly expensive and time consuming, Hardakers very adequate legal team obviously wouldn’t go down without a fight. We are talking about two Rugby teams here, not two footballing giants.

In reality, you would assume that should Cas go down the legal route it would end up being settled out of court, maybe with Wigan paying something akin to a transfer fee. If the Solomona case is anything to go by, Cas wanted £500k but settled at about £200k plus contribution towards legal fees.

Hardaker lit the blue touch paper a bit on Twitter after the Saints v Cas game. He said ‘I hope Ben Barba is in Superleague next year’. The first response was to say it’ll be interesting to see who comes out on top if they play against each other. Hardaker replied ‘Easy, me!’ Ha, some of the responses to that were predictable as one might imagine!!

Now that would be close to the line....and I wonder how they would celebrate?

Time will tell if we have signed Zak and if the club can manage him. No matter where he ends up playing I hope he grabs the support with both hands and do his talking on the pitch and be remembered for the awesome player he could be rather than off field topics. Throughout all sports there have been amazing players who have needed help managing their demons, whether it be gambling, off field antics etc the list is endless. Not many get the chances to change perceptions and in some cases reality, and ultimately turn it around, for example Ben Barba

Fair chunk of truth from nottinghamtiger...

Compensation to Cas will be settled by Wigan not the player if he choses to join. Warrington interest ended tail end of last week, their recruitment for next year is almost done and no room for Zak. Offered a 4 year deal but now extended to a 5 year deal and is quite substantial, more akin to the deal offered to ST that was rejected, not the peanuts touted by some. Decision is still up in the air, a move from home (new house, partner, family) isn't appealing.

I would expect an announcement soon as I am sure the club are dictating the pace.