Re: CONFIRMED | Zak Hardaker to Castleford Tigers : Tue Oct 10, 2017 4:07 pm  

There is no chance of him coming back in any capacity. And rightly so.

Re: CONFIRMED | Zak Hardaker to Castleford Tigers : Tue Oct 10, 2017 5:56 pm  

Lets make him club ambassador. Someone for the kids to look up to and admire. Someone who can guide them through their development. Keep them on the straight and narrow. Then again maybe not! Keep well away

Re: CONFIRMED | Zak Hardaker to Castleford Tigers : Tue Oct 10, 2017 6:06 pm  

PrinterThe wrote:

He has turned his back on those that have helped him, that doesn't mean you do the same. Taking the "not our problem" anymore position is pretty poor even with a person who doesn't necessarily deserve our help.

This isn't a case of if he screws up again he might have to find a new club, he is now banned from all rugby and admittedly all of his own doing and whilst different circumstances we've seen with Stevie Ward what it can do to not being able to play can do to you.

I'm sure entirely what role the club could have for him but surely there's something in between 'eff him not our problem and him taking Walker out on the lash every week.

It's one thing to give up on someone as a RL player, another thing to give up on them as a person even if they haven't earned it.

I know where you're coming from, and it is a very charitable stance to take. I would applaud the club tipping in to help him with any professional help he might need. But I would not want him back at the club. He is where he is, through is own actions. He needs to grow up and take responsibility for himself and his actions. He DECIDED to do Cocaine, knowing the consequences for him, the club that took him in after he screwed up at Leeds and in Aus and the fans at Cas who saw their season turned on its head as a result. He's let himself down, his club down and his country down. A couple of years grafting in the sort of jobs that those who pay to watch him do might do him a world of good and should ground him in reality if nothing else. I wish him no harm and I hope he finds his way through it, with all the help and support he needs. But he needs to be exposed to reality, learn from this experience, take responsibilty and decide to grow up.

Re: CONFIRMED | Zak Hardaker to Castleford Tigers : Tue Oct 10, 2017 6:09 pm  

PrinterThe wrote:

So if everyone turns their back on him and you wake up one day turn on the news and hear the worst case scenario, you'd be ok that we didn't at least try now?

Yes we've tried before but this is a very different situation where he's now banned from the sport, not just that he might have to move clubs if he carries on. Does he deserve the clubs help? No, but doesn't mean we shouldn't give it, as a former club we're in a much better position to do that.

Maybe jumping to the worst case scenario of a repeat of Terry Newton might seem to be going OTT to some but it is a possibility and surely we should do everything to prevent that? I'd rather we had our fingers burnt again than not try. It's only a suggestion anyway as Cas might stick by him.

We are a rugby club not a medical centre. Leeds did their very best to accommodate Hardaker and have no responsibility for him at all now. He is a bad apple and would only bring more trouble with him. Assuming he is found guilty and banned then he has to take the responsibility for this.

He owes Cas big time and if ever he is allowed to play RL again then he should only be allowed to play for Cas on much reduced pay until he has paid back his transfer fee.

Re: CONFIRMED | Zak Hardaker to Castleford Tigers : Tue Oct 10, 2017 7:28 pm  

I loved zak during his time here but wouldnt want him anywhere near the club again. I really hope he gets himself together and no harm comes to him, I dont think it will because like iv already said,i think his behavior shows the signs of a lad whos just a bit of a d**khead rather than anything more troublesome,i take printers point about the looming long term ban triggering somthing more negative in him, but if it does,then Zaks got the ability to find his own professional help and if any clubs going to support him,it should be cas,they ignored the many warning signs and bought him,he's there employee. If i got sacked tomorrow for taking drugs or attacking someone,theres no way in a million years my previous employer would take me back on just to make sure i was ok,especially if id been a pain in the backside whilst i was there,i suspect this is the case for everyone on here. I dont see why sportsmen/women should enjoy privileges us normal fans would never get if we messed up.

What job would he do here? He's a rugby player,any job we gave him away from the squad,he would be getting above people way more qualified and more than likley without any of the baggag zak brings,which would be totally unfair. He'd be getting rewarded,after all his poor choices,just incase he cant deal with the consequences of all his poor choices. It would send a terrible message imo

Re: CONFIRMED | Zak Hardaker to Castleford Tigers : Tue Oct 10, 2017 8:12 pm  

Welcome to Widnes Zak. Rangi found the cheapest blast in Widnes, you'll settle right in here!

Re: CONFIRMED | Zak Hardaker to Castleford Tigers : Tue Oct 10, 2017 11:39 pm  

TOMCAT wrote:

I know where you're coming from, and it is a very charitable stance to take. I would applaud the club tipping in to help him with any professional help he might need. But I would not want him back at the club. He is where he is, through is own actions. He needs to grow up and take responsibility for himself and his actions. He DECIDED to do Cocaine, knowing the consequences for him, the club that took him in after he screwed up at Leeds and in Aus and the fans at Cas who saw their season turned on its head as a result. He's let himself down, his club down and his country down. A couple of years grafting in the sort of jobs that those who pay to watch him do might do him a world of good and should ground him in reality if nothing else. I wish him no harm and I hope he finds his way through it, with all the help and support he needs. But he needs to be exposed to reality, learn from this experience, take responsibilty and decide to grow up.

Did he know the consequences though? Depends when he took the drug, he may have been 99% sure it would be out of his system by matchday, and perhaps it would have been if he had just drank a bit more water or gone to a sauna or something, he certainly wasnt playing like a man expecting a major ban may be coming his way.

Remember that if he had been tested by SL during training it would have been an anonymous warning only (provided this was his first cocaine offence)

Hopefully he doesnt get banned for 2 years and he only gets a few months, as imo their should be a much bigger punishment for actual drugs cheats than recreational drug users, but if he does get the long ban I think Wigan or Wire would probably offer to help him out if Cas got rid, they have plenty of money and would probably be worth the risk for Wire especially

Re: CONFIRMED | Zak Hardaker to Castleford Tigers : Wed Oct 11, 2017 12:14 am  

Hardaker walked out on Leeds after performing dreadfully by his standards last year. This was after the club had stood by him through some very unsavoury incidents, which judging by his petulant statements whilst in Australia he thought wasn't enough. It clearly never struck him that he was exceptionally lucky that Leeds hadn't fired him previously. Mind you, realistic self appraisal clearly isn't his strong point given that he thought he played well in the NRL when he was bog average.

Since his return he's clearly learned nothing about how to behave off field. I wouldn't want someone like that anywhere near our younger players - especially someone with his track record and time on his hands.

That doesn't mean I wish him ill at all. But any responsibility for providing help lies first with his current employers at Cas, and then with the RFL. But help is only useful if its accepted - Cas, the RFL, Leeds and the Pope will be zero use if he doesn't want to sort himself out.

Re: CONFIRMED | Zak Hardaker to Castleford Tigers : Wed Oct 11, 2017 7:44 am  

He needs a couple of years in the real world. This upcoming ban could be one of the best things that has happened to him if he responds in the right way. However, after his move to Penrith he couldn't resist having a dig at Leeds (while he was still employed by Leeds btw!) and all this year he has been goading Leeds fans on twitter. He hasn't taken on board anything or any help he has been given. He's 25 for goodness sake. He needs to grow up.

Re: CONFIRMED | Zak Hardaker to Castleford Tigers : Wed Oct 11, 2017 8:11 am  

leedsnsouths wrote:

Did he know the consequences though? Depends when he took the drug, he may have been 99% sure it would be out of his system by matchday, and perhaps it would have been if he had just drank a bit more water or gone to a sauna or something, he certainly wasnt playing like a man expecting a major ban may be coming his way.

Remember that if he had been tested by SL during training it would have been an anonymous warning only (provided this was his first cocaine offence)

Hopefully he doesnt get banned for 2 years and he only gets a few months, as imo their should be a much bigger punishment for actual drugs cheats than recreational drug users, but if he does get the long ban I think Wigan or Wire would probably offer to help him out if Cas got rid, they have plenty of money and would probably be worth the risk for Wire especially

He knew the consequences of getting caught, it's a well trodden path. He may have thought he was able to dodge getting caught, but if so he got that calculation wrong. At the end of the day, he has to look at himself in the mirror and accept that he has no one to blame but himself. With introspection and reflection this could be the saving of the man and the making of the player, I hope so.