Gaz Hock

Quote: MadDogg "I'm looking forward to see Gareth back - a world class player on his day and worthy of a place in a champion team.

But Gareth's upcoming return only adds to the likelihood that sometime over the next year or two, Wigan may have to make a very hard decision to release one or maybe more young, quality Wiganers upon which they will receive an inevitable backlash from some fans both within and outside of the club.

If we're to say for arguement's sake Sean O'Loughlin is a dead cert for the 13 spot, you're then looking at an absolute maximum of 4 remaining places in the side for backrowers. There is also an absolute maximum of 4 prop places available in a side of 17.

If Hock comes back as a 2nd rower, 7 into 4 just doesn't go. If Hock comes back at prop, 7 into 4 just doesn't go. When all of those 7 are players who have the potential to go very far in the game, you not only can't blame them for looking elsewhere for an opportunity for more action but you would have to encourage it for their sake.

The important thing to remember though when the inevitable decision or decisions are made is that this time around they have not come about as a result of mass overseas recruitment but the reality that the terrific work being done by the Wigan youth system is actually producing more quality players than Wigan can accommodate.

Before certain people launch into their predictable rant which seems to be a conditioned response when something like this happens, maybe they should recognise that if every SL club were able to produce the same amount of output from their youth development systems then Super League, England and the game as a whole would be in a far healthier state.'"

Very good points all things being equal but they are not. Hock got banned for breaking the rules on drugs. The other 6 props or second rowers didn't. Someone said earlier he deserves another chance. Well IMO that chance should not come at the expense of players who were not stupid enough to take drugs.

We don't actually need him back. We won the GF without him and have players coming through. If Wigan had said he was finished with the club once the ban was confirmed that would be in line with what would happen to many if us in our own jobs and that would not be denying us the opportunity for future employment elsewhere and the same would be true for Hock. He would find another club easily enough (Penirth for example!) but I don't think it would be Leeds or Saints. I don't think they would touch him and I am not sure why we need to either.

Dave