Signing this afternoon. Done deal.

It would be a miracle if he plays for you that soon given he is still under investigation for the Twitter thing which was there in plain black and white. I would expect him to get something along the same lines as Hardaker did. That said as I have posted on the Fax forum, its almost surreal a international class second rower signing for a second tier club and says a lot about leighs ambitions but also speaks volumes about where Hocks career has gone.

I can understand the ambition but can't see it working out well for you during the regular season. He is as likely to upset the squad as he is to add to it. Has been banned as often as he has played but still costs the money. Perhaps the logic is he comes back from a ban in time for the Middle 8 competition against SL opposition. If the contract reflects that then it is a shrewd piece of business from your BOD.

His current ban will be a blessing in disguise, it gives our fantastic player welfare and family values a full six weeks to work with hock b4 he is anywhere near a 1st team shirt. In this 6 weeks Rowls will know if hock has bought into our club culture or not, who knows he may never see him play in 1st team if he shows signs of his past in the 6 weeks. A gamble well worth taking, yes his PAST is very chequered & quite possibly the worst displinary record in RL but he his also better than 95% of RL players in this country when judged on playing ability. It will either be genius or a disaster which one we would never know unless we take a chance on him, fasten your seat belts and enjoy the ride

No it wasn't that. This was much more recent and he was responding to the 'fans' who were trying (and succeeding) to wind him up. This is one of them - I can't post the others because of the bad language:

garethhock @gazhock12 · Feb 16
@TommyyFroddyy seen state of you Ya little gimp do 1 I'm busy

I think it's tough for any player on social media to see people having a go at them and not respond but there are rules in place and I'm sure that whilst he's at our club, the board will be reminding him of his obligation to the club to behave himself on social media.

Life is a one off chance no repeats, if you don't take the gamble now and again you get nowhere.

If he signs I can see Paul playing him in the core where the 'action' is most of the time, that way he must concentrate on his own ability when Gareth has played well he has played in a team with a winning mentality and ethos which is what we have at Leigh at the present time.
Is he worth the gamble? Too right he is who 12 months ago would have said that Leigh would have (if he signs that is) two of the most well known names (albeit sometimes not for the best of reasons) in world Rugby League in their ranks?
This could be the start of something good or something else but unless you take the gamble you will never know.

It's tough for Hock, big ego with a small brain mixed with aggression and muscles is always a recipe for disaster.

Benny Westwood managed to sneak by.

And me' but I never say anything.

Hock offers quite a bit of “x factor” when he’s on song. He can bust the line almost at will and has a great offload. He’s tough in defence and has a bit of pace. His ability isn’t in question. Attitude wise it’s another matter. He played under a fair few coaches and never managed to sort out his ill-discipline. If Rowley manages that he’ll have done something no other coach has done before. I don’t really see why Rowley will have any more chance of doing that. Has he done this before?

It’ll be interesting to see how Hock integrates. Over the years I’ve had first-hand experience of playing in sides that are settled and then seeing that disappear when a new player comes in who rubs everyone up the wrong way. It can seriously mess things up. If a player has a bad attitude it can be really difficult to communicate with him positively when things are going wrong. Then you end up with the team in one faction and the bad apple on his own. It can often be a relief to play without him. I’m not saying that will happen with Hock but it’s not beyond the realms of possibility. Do Leigh need that? They’re the top team in the division and settled and happy. An “on song” Hock offers a lot but will he deliver or let his teammates down?

I remember a story I was told about Hock when he was a kid when he was on the point of being chucked out at Wigan before he’d played a first team game. Back then he went by the name Gareth Charnock. After being read the riot act he came in the next day and said Gareth Charnock was no more. He was Gareth Hock and was ready to make a fresh start. Since then he’s had more ups and downs than the big one at Blackpool.

If he can overcome the discipline issues he’ll be superb for you. I expect he’ll take time to settle down and Rowley will have a real challenge to get on his wavelength. He’s always a second away from losing it when provoked which makes him a real gamble if you’re investing serious money. If I were in charge I’d have plenty of clauses in the contract meaning it’s void if he blows it again.

Don't forget the little white stuff as well

That was a really good post! There is absolutely nothing to suggest he will change.

That said, I hope he has enough decency to recognise the life-line Leigh have thrown him. I don't mean this to sound condescending to Leigh but the step down may be a humbling experience. Working for a club who has to fight for every penny and playing amongst lads who do this for a fraction of what he earns may prick his conscience and make him reflect.

As for the Twitter incident Mish mentioned, I had no idea about that, not being media savvy an all. Little worried though that, once again, he failed to exercise self-control after all that's gone on!

Finally, given he is media savvy I suspect he may be casting an eye over this thread. If he is, I'd like to say welcome (to my second club, and this coming from a Saint) Leigh. They are the best supporters you will ever play for and as loyal as could be. The slate is clean. DON'T LET US DOWN!!!!

Are Leigh just trying to put more bums on seats with the signing of Hock?

Does the current squad, that are champions and still have great momentum - plus still loads more to come yet - REALLY need Hock?

Leigh are already there to be shot at this season, will Hock handle that or go OTT?

Has Rowley given himself extra workload he can really do without? Eye-off-the-ball and all that.

People seem to be misunderstanding what Gareth Hock is all about. If I was a Leigh fan, I would have absolutely no concerns over Gareth Hock upsetting the dressing room. Infact I imagine it will lift the players to have someone of Gareth's reputation in English RL sharing the dressing room with them. You only have to take a look at the tweets from Marwan Koukash and the players alike when it was announced that Hock would be leaving Salford, they were all very positive and it was obvious they would miss him around the place.

Where the major issue/risk through signing Gareth Hock comes from within his own head, whilst he is on a RL pitch. I don't know what it is, but whenever he steps onto that grass he turns into a ticking time bomb which you just know is going to explode at any time. Sure, with his talent he can be a huge asset to any team in the Championship but he could also cost you games through his stupidity and petulance whether this is through a sin-binning, sending off or suspensions. In the Championship this might not be an issue, as without Gaz Hock it would seem Leigh are the better team anyway so if you can potential afford for him to sit on the sidelines for a good few weeks of the season then he's worth a punt. Unfortunately, in Super League we cant afford for one of our more expensive players not to be making a positive impact on the team.

I hope it works out for you and Gaz. During his last two bans with us, I have had concerns over the guys mental state. Without RL where would Hock be? I assume either inside or dead. He needs the sport in his life and this really is his last chance to do something with his career. Lets hope he realises this and Leigh reap the benefits.