Hock was a liability last season and the two previous seasons before banned out of the game. If I remember correctly he couldn't even make Wigan's 17 for their biggest game of the season last year. Now after a dozen or so regular season rounds of decent form he's supposedly in the best three back rowers in the world?
To make such a claim form must be produced over an extended period of time and perform at the top level in games that matter (play-offs, semis and finals) and on the represensative stage. Once he's done that then he can be considered in that bracket not after Brian Noble and Ian Millward have said so on BBC2.