Dobby wrote:I must admit I have never been Hock's biggest fan and with all of our options at the moment think that there is no need to rush into anything with regards to him. No matter what training you do 2 years is still an awful long time out of the game as well.
His brain explosions often made him a liability and he has never been the most clever of players. There is though no denying that on his day he is a very strong running forward that can break the line but for me he often had more poor matches than good ones. In my opinion J Tomkins is a better, more controlled version of Hock without the brain explosions.
If we did re-sign him I would certainly only offer him a low contract which was nothing like he was on previously. If he didnt accept then let him sign elsewhere.
Hock has the potential to be the best second rower in Rugby Leauge, both in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere competitions.
He should never be disregarded.
Hock is a Drugs offender who has pissed all over the great name of this club and let down the fans, on that alone he shouldn't be able to come back, as for world class, if he was so excellent why where the Aussie clubs never trying to sign him?, because they know the real truth, on his day he is a real talent but those days are few and far between, he is too inconsistent, therefore noit good enough for down under or he would have been snapped up by now.
ps. we haven't even missed him since he's been out, infact we have actually looked a better side IMO
I know you can't get to many games Medlocke, so how can you make a well informed and reasoned statement about Hock when you have only seen him in the half dozen or so games that Wigan are featured on Sky Sports?
Just because he's been caught taking Coke, doesn't mean he should be cast out from society and left to rot in the gutter, as you appear to think should happen to him.
We look a better team at the moment due to the huge improvement in coaching and backroom staff at the club, not because Hock's not playing. If he'd been playing this season, I'm fairly sure he would be nothing short of sensational. If the staff can turn Fielden around like they have, I reckon they could have improved on an already, outstanding, Gaz Hock.
Im still undecided on hock as "World Class", i think he would be a better player in this camp than previous itterations of the squad and i would like to see how he went.
I understand where Medlock is coming from with his mistakes but on the other hand in a team completely devoid of ideas he was often the go to man and was put under pressure to come up with a special play because no-one else was. He would have a lot more support around him now so it would be interesting to see how he went
In short i think if he is anything like the player he was before he left we would be foolish not to trial him.
Having said that signing him now would be a mistake. lets wait till he is eligible
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure
He is a risk, but one worth taking if he isn't going to cost us the earth. If he is happy playing for a standard first teamer salary then I would sign him up for a couple of years (and a half, I suppose). If he wanted big money I wouldn't. As ever in these salary cap days the price has to be right.
Exiled Wiganer wrote:He is a risk, but one worth taking if he isn't going to cost us the earth. If he is happy playing for a standard first teamer salary then I would sign him up for a couple of years (and a half, I suppose). If he wanted big money I wouldn't. As ever in these salary cap days the price has to be right.
I agree he is a risk worht taking and shouldn't be condemend for life (as they say the one without sin throw the first stone) for one mistake. He's worth more of a gamble than the one we took by offering pryce an new contract last season.
Hock was arguably our best player at the time he was banned. He's tough and aggressive which are attributes that we are not blessed with in our pack at the moment. Aligned to that he was one of the best offloaders in super league. With better coaching, renewed commitment and dedication he has the potential to become a really great player.
Given his tough background and the sort of mates he was hanging around with it was always possible he would do something disastrous. Granted that he has let the club down but surely that should give him extra motivation to make it up to the club and the fans. He's a Wigan lad and if we don't give him the chance to salvage something from his career another club definitely will and we will probably regret it. We should give him that second chance.
If Gaz Hock does return he will have been the most tested player in the history of RL, possibly sport. Since his ban he has been tested randomly on a weekly basis.
cpwigan wrote:If Gaz Hock does return he will have been the most tested player in the history of RL, possibly sport. Since his ban he has been tested randomly on a weekly basis.
