Peet indicates it frees up cap space in his Wigan TV interview. Doubt we’ll get to spend it mins but you never know.

Sounds like you lot have hung him out to dry in the end, when he most needed support. But it’s a two way street I guess. Must have been a tough call as your a weaker team without him…..

It’s funny that, cos we’ve put up with miles more of his s**t than any of his previous clubs have, yourselves included.

How so?

Just found this on the Examiner live about MPs interview...

Initial comments

Firstly, I want to put on record my best wishes to Zak. I told him this personally. There is a genuine desire from this club to see him be okay and to thrive as a person first and foremost. We all know he can play rugby but we just want him to have a happy and content life and whatever support he needs, the club and the game remain there for him.

The lads have all been involved in our culture and they wish him well as a friend first and foremost and that's how I feel, I hope he's alright.

How difficult it was to make the decision

It's difficult because there is a level of care for Zak and a want to see him come here and meet the standards. But as well, we know what we have to do for the best of the club, what culture we're trying to build and to have standards you have got to have accountability. Whether that's in team selection or people not remaining on the journey. Unfortunately, that's where it has got to.

Is the decision related to the initial incident that saw him dropped, or something different?

It's related, it's a consistent theme, we have standards and repeated breaches you could say, repeatedly not meeting what is expected. That's not what is expected from me specifically, I am a massive part of it, but it's the group, the club and what we want to stand for. Zak has been part of the conversations where we have said what we want to be about, as have all the team and staff. For that reason, it becomes an obvious decision even if it's not an easy one.

Was it a necessary decision to make a point about the importance of culture and stands?

It's no good saying all the right things and you never get your culture perfect, it's a life thing. Good things happen and bad things happen but what defines your culture is how you react to it. There are two sides to it - there is the care for Zak as an individual which I will continue to stress, but there's care for all the other individuals in the club, players, staff, fans and academy. We have to do the right thing for the majority.

How important is it to not let it be a distraction for the Salford game?

I can one million per cent guarantee it won't be a distraction.

How have the players reacted?

I don't know what they'll be like, I'm sure they will all touch base and reach out to Zak, as will I and encourage them to do so as a friend, but it's business as usual.

Do you feel let down?

No, not really, I don't take it personally. I'm disappointed for Zak because I know he did want to make it work here. But it's not to be.

Did Zak show he wanted to put it right?

Consistently. I think at heart Zak wants to make it work. But I think, as I said, there has to be accountability. People make mistakes, we've worked with Zak, as we do a lot of our players, people make mistakes, but like I say, we've got to see people learning from them mistakes and unfortunately that wasn't the case.

How long did it take to come to the decision to tear up his contract?

Well firstly, it wasn't just my decision. I had a feeling on how things should go. But there was collaboration throughout the club, proper processes, proper discussions and disciplinary process and in the end, multiple stakeholders, including the baord and the owners, it was considered the right thing to do for the club. I had my own opinion on what the right thing to do was from a team and performance point of view but there's more to it than that.

Did the leadership group have a role?

I'm not going to go into too much detail but the players are the culture and know what is expected. There's time we reflect on things that haven't or have gone well, we have regular meetings to discuss our progress. They weren't asked directly but some of them would be involved in conversations.

Will you look to recruit a replacement?

We always have one eye on that and there will be cap space, but that's not been mentioned at all yet. This was a standalone decision. In an ideal world, Zak would still be here, he's a quality player and a popular member of the group. Zak at his best adds a lot. That discussion might come up at some point but my mind is focused on this week's game.

Reading between the lines of what Matty Peet said about it gives a hint that there's more to it than just someone who had a few beers during an alcohol ban.

Understandably because of ZH's well documented mental health issues the club have done the decent thing for ZH, his team mates, the club and the fans by quickly drawing a line under whatever has happened and moved on with the minimum of fuss.

Personally I can't stand the guy, but that doesn't mean I think he should be hung out to dry for whatever has happened.

The club have gone above and beyond for ZH, and to be fair to him he's responded to an extent, but no employer can put the needs of one person above everyone else so it's absolutely the right thing to send him on his merry way.

That’s not actually true . See my post on the other ‘Zak’ thread.

Well what has he actually done that’s so bad? Doesn’t sound like enough to sack him from what I’ve head, and club statements still talk about him in glowing terms!
Don’t forget you got him cheap too, given the circumstances……

From what you've heard? So I take it from that you're fully conversant with all the facts. Do share. The rest of us would love to know exactly what's happened.

I don’t know, but it’s nothing illegal or dangerous, so I’m wondering too why the sacking?

Yet you've made a statement that whatever it was wasn't bad enough to justify a sacking. At the same time you're now admitting you don't actually know what he's done. Which is it?

Do fans and the GBP have a right to know exactly what ZH did or didn't do? So we can all get up on our hind legs and pontificate about whether sacking him is justified or not?

I'd say no. Matty Peet is right to draw a line under it, I think. Which, of course, is as much for Zak's benefit as anyone else's.

Yeah fair point. Not a lot of point getting into rumours. I suppose I wanted to stick up a bit for Zak as I’m a dad with young kids too, and I work away fair bit as-well….

Wigan obviously have enough reason to sack Hardaker, otherwise his agent and solicitor would be after Wigan for unfair dismissal. They will have gone through all the legal procedures no doubt.

I think he wanted out too though and maybe it was a mutual decision, more than a sacking …..

I’m starting to think you are his mum.

He has been sacked.

Read the press releases and quotes from Peet. HR, club directors and the owner followed due process to ensure there was no legal comeback.

His actions were in breach of club standards and he was sacked.

Just because he is more than likely going to Leeds for half a season you need to stop trying to put a rose tinted slant on it.

For what it’s worth I didn’t want Zak at Wigan to start with however he got his head down and proved me wrong, kept his nose clean, excuse the reference, and once up to speed was a very good player.

It wasn’t long till the cracks started showing though the same issues started to creep in off the field and his antics started off the field.

Wigan reacted by trying to take him out of his negative environment and he seemed to settle again….but once again not for long.

It all started to go wrong again when he started heading home more and whilst his behaviour off the field away from rugby seemed more settled the cracks started showing again with talk of him being homesick and the commute, ironic given he is in talks with Leigh because they are offering him silly money.

The decline started when he went public to the press with his thoughts about being the best fullback in England, and getting totally owned by Tomkins.

On field performances started to fall away, and once again the moaning about the commute became more vocal.

His performance after the Wakefield game was I’m told totally embarrassing. Threw his toys out the pram because he was expected to get on the bus with the group back to Wigan.

He is an undoubted talent and I’m sure in the short term wherever he turns up at he will have a good impact on the team, it won’t be long though till the cracks start to show.

Yeah fair play. Now that you’ve explained it so well, a parting of ways Is completely for the best.
Fwiw most Leeds fans I know don’t what him back. I do have Rose Tinted specs yes. To give some perspective he’s the only Leeds player to have won MOS since Iestyn Harris.
Think of all the great players we’ve had since then. He’s a very very special RL player……

‘Was’ special. He’s nothing of the sort any more. Time and behaviour have caught him up.

Correction.

Was a great player 5 years ago.

He did a good job for you guys didn’t he? Didn’t he win player of season. With the talent you have that takes some doing…….

He was a good solid defensive centre for a couple of years and a good fullback in his first season. He also seemed to be a real leader when we lacked in that department when he moved to centre.

He never hit the heights he did at Cas with Wigan but I though his move to centre initially went well, dropped off though gradually.

The player alongside Gale at Cas was very special though, I know of hope he ends up with Gale again as they brought out the best in each other and were fantastic to watch.

You also need to look at his injury record. Doesn’t miss many does he?

He missed 1/3rd of last season through injury/suspension.

That would be like Mr consistent for our recent standards. And before that hardly missed a game for you!

I've never known a player with as many people interested to know what's going on in his life as Zak Hardaker. Ever since he's been at Wigan, we've had people on here querying every aspect of his relationship with the club, following his every movement on an AA map, talking as if they know stuff (while in truth trying to ferret out more), defending him one minute, criticising him the next, expressing hope that he's got himself sorted while in truth hoping he's about to foul up again.

Why the obsessive interest?

He's no superstar. He's just a bloke who plays rugby. To a reasonably decent level, but not as well as he used to.