Wigan Warriors - wiganrugbyfans.com • Re: Rumours and signings v9

Be interesting to know how many of you actually know Zak personally, how many of you can actually say "he's an idiot, he's a tool, he's trouble etc" and actually say this because you have met him personally and he lived up to that mantle. I doubt many of you can say "I asked Zak for an autograph or my kid asked him for a photo and he acted like a complete *bleep*? There are a lot of mitigating circumstances for the behavior that alot of you keep bringing up that left Zak in mental limbo, though not an excuse, unless you know him personally you would not be able to understand.

Is he a model professional like Lockers, Farrell etc? No. Is he a young man balancing being a professional sportsman within a generation that knows no limits? Yes. Has he got himself into stupid, alcohol fueled situations that reflect badly on him? Yes. Is it time for everyone, especially those that do not know him to stop being so judgmental? Yes. Does he deserve a chance either with us or another club to play rugby league? YES!

There is an awful lot wrong with his behavior in the past, I do not for one moment condone any of it, but, I do feel like each of the cases he was dealt a punishment so the matter is closed. To keep bringing these incidents up to judge him presently is unfair. There comes a tipping point and we are at it, let the lad move forward, let him take HIS life forward without the consistently being branded for two/three flash points in his past. As fans of the sports, we should all want a player like Zak Hardacre playing rugby league.

Yes I know Zak personally and yes I want to see him happy, settled, enjoying life and playing rugby. If that is at Wigan then I will be even happier for him. I know the club and they will support him in all aspects of life, not just sporting. In my opinion, Wigan is the best place for him.