Exactly what I was about to post. It's sad that it has come to this - even more sad at how low the club and its players has dropped.

It's not even a just a moral issue it's a business one too. He is bad publicity and he will be contributing sod all to the team. With Leon Pryce Saints had to look at things a little differently as he was still a valuable playing asset , same with Feka at Wigan but Hock will just be a dead weight for 2 years.

u me and 100000 other rugby supporters no its cocaine he deserves to be banned-he is a silly man

It isnt even confirmed that the second sample is positive and already most of you are calling for his head!

What if the 2nd sample comes back fine. It amazes me the speed at which our own fans get on the backs of our players, its bad enought with all the trolling saints fans putting there pounds worth in!

10 pound says he gets banned

It will amaze me if his B sample come back negative and I'm not trolling you cheeky sod. It's tough on Wigan this but I'm sure some young player will benfit.

And what then in 2 years when every club in SL is banging on his door for his name on a contract.. What good will that do wigan ?

Hock will be back in SL the day after this ban as finished..everyone knows this. so why should wigan give our rival more of an advantage by giving them the best S/R in SL. The fake well done slaps on the back we would recieve from the rest of SL if we sacked him will last 2 mins.

What will Hock do for 2 years? Work in Tesco stacking shelves?

You have no idea what position Wigan or any other club in SL will be in when his ban is up. There is nothing stopping you offering him a deal when his ban is up even if you sack him now however if you dont sack him dont you have to keep paying him ?

Where did i state that a 2nd sample to come back Negative is common?

I am not naive and for you to call me that is out of order considering you have no idea who i am. I believe in the "innocent until proven guilty" approach unlike others.............

btw i am aware of the rumours regarding hocks leisure activities

OK, say if you turned up for work drunk (serious gross misconduct in MOST workplaces). Except this time you got away with it, so you did it again but on the way to work you were pulled over by the police and breathelysed at the road-side where you were found to be over the limit. Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't a drink drive ban amount to serious gross misconduct in work? Even IF it was out of work? So you would expect to be sacked.

Except for the substance - whats the difference between that and Hock?

None.

I couldn't care if he was back in SL one day. He broke the rules. If this was Fielden I 100% guarantee you'd be calling for his head - but because it's Hock he can stay on? Give over.

Whether he's the best or not, he seriously let Wigan down and he deserves to be sacked.

That correct we dont but can you see hock getting a well paid job once released a brain surgeon he apparently is not.

It wouldnt shockme if the club kept him on after being banned with a minimal salary to see him through. Besides once the ban is lifted IF wigan have better players in teh back row (which i highly doubt we will) we could simply release him to pursue a contract elsewhere. Both parties win

Do we? Most people are assuming he is guilty, I will wait to see if his B sample comes back positive before I make up my mind.

That would depend on your terms of employment I would imagine. Proffessional atheletes I would imagine would have many many clauses and for sure one of them would involve the use of drugs resulting in a ban. I am of course speculating as I have never seen Gareth Hocks contract with Wigan and I pretty much doubt anyone on here has either (unless they happen to be his solicitor and then they would be bound by client confidentiality)

No offence here but.....

I dont know what you do but i bets its a lot easier to find a replacement for your role in your company than it is to find a replacement for hock.

Of course if it was feilden then i wouldnt be as bothered about him being released because:

a) hes on a huge salary and we can get better cheaper
b) he has underperformed for 2 years
c) isnt a local player
d) when his ban is finished he would be 32-33ish

Yuo cant just cut people salary, some people on these forums live in a dream world. He will be contracted to Wigan on specific terms and one of those terms will be the amount he is paid - unless he signed a new contract or agreed to an amendment you either terminate it based on legal grouds to do so or you carry on paying him. The point I was making earlier is even if he accepted a new contract of sorts at Wigan think about the negative publicity that could cause and potential loss of sponsorship for a very limited return. At least Pryce and Feka could provide some form of compensation ...

Yeah it is based on terms of employment - as we know many professional sports athletes have been banned for drink-driving but not sacked by their respected clubs. I know that if I were to get caught drink-driving I'd be suspended dependant on the outcome of the court case - if I got a ban/jail sentence etc. After which I'd expect to be sacked.

Your damn right i be calling for Fieldens head and i wont lie about that because that would be in wigans best interests the money we pay him would be very handy

Sacking Hock is not in the best interests of this club..because as soon as the bans over every rival of ours will be begging him to sign for them.

I;ve lost all respect for the man but as a SL player we cant afford to lose talant on a permanent basis like hes.

I'm not taking any moral ground over this because in 2 years time there will not be any taken by the rest of SL when the most wanted signature in SL is Hocks.

Sacking him is only going to hurting us and i only care about WIGAN R.L

Double standards? We can't be seen to be soft - what message does it give out? What does it say to younger players in the scholarship scheme's at Wigan? They may as well send them a letter and say take cocaine, get caught but if your good we'll not sack you? Give over.

I only care about Wigan RL and IMHO opinion sacking Hock is the best thing for us right now.

I'd be sad that it had to come to that but at the same time glad that Wigan RL are finally showing some balls and taking a hard-lined approach to ill-discipline and breaking club/RFL rules.

Exactly and IF he is found guily his contract will be terminiated due to clauses within said contract thus leaving the door open for Wigan to renegotiate a new contract.

Sacking Hock is not punishing him. his punishment will be a 2 year ban and no matter what happens he'll be back at a top SL club after that be it wigan or who ever

The only people its punishes is the club and fans. not to mention the huge advantage its going to give one of our main rivals


I dont care what the rest of SL will think about it..in 2 years they will be hoping and praying there clubs in the running to sign him.

I assume he will not be getting paid for those two years, I say that is a punishment

<sigh> Not the best day to be a Wigan fan. I feel like I've been kicked in the nads.

He hasn't thought this through at all. What else is he going to do? He's hardly the sharpest knife in the drawer and good looks and urbane charm aren't strong points either. He's going to go from a wage most of us can only dream about to the social. What shape is he going to be in in 2 years time? He hasn't got the discipline to look after himself now, let alone when he's hanging about with his 'mates'. He re-invented himself once - he won't get another chance.

He's going to need some sort of counselling after this or I would be worried about what sort of trouble he's going to get himself into. A skinnier Green Vigo type figure around town?

Absolutely spot on mate. We can’t afford to lose Hock AND let him go to another one of our rivals it’s a double blow we can’t take.

Hocks punishment is a two year unpaid ban and Wigan sacking him doesn’t add or take anything away from that.

The only thing Wigan sacking Hock does is HURT WIGAN RLFC. Hock will have the same punishment no matter what and WILL return to the game either playing for us or against us.

Why make the club suffer more than it already has to when it’s done nothing wrong?

My earlier post was similar to this.

Like I say, I don't think he'll play at the top level again.