Quote: Durham Giant "www.sportinglife.com/rugby-league/news/article/2/8713217/gareth-hock-gets-four-match-ban
second time he has manhandled a ref. He seems to have really hit the self destruct button. After this i am not sure he has an international future'"
He did not manhandle the referee in the slightest. The incident he's been banned for appears to be when he and the ref got tangled up when Hock was chasing back to make a tackle. The referee took no action at the time, no penalty, no talking to, not put on report, no cards shown. He later said in his match report that he considered the collision to have been accidental.
It was Steve Ganson who referred the matter to the disciplinary despite Stokes saying it was an accident. Nobody at the game (and I was one) saw anything untoward and the incident wasn't even mentioned in any match reports that's how innocuous it was.
I think Hock's reputation has preceded him in this case and I think he has been very harshly treated.