Hock not allowed to play against Salford

Salford owner Dr Marwan Koukash has insisted that former Red Devil Gareth Hock will not be allowed to play against the club in the Challenge Cup fifth round for Leigh.

Hock joined the Centurions in February after being released by Salford. One of the conditions of his release deal was that he sign a clause stating that he could not feature in a competitive game against his former club until the end of the 2016 season.

Leigh will play Salford in the fifth round of the Challenge Cup on April 18, and Leigh have hinted that they will challenge Hock’s ‘compromise agreement.’

But Koukash is standing firm when it comes to allowing Hock to feature in the game.

“As part of his release agreement that he signed with us, it was agreed that he couldn’t play any competitive games against us,” he said.

“Gareth was fully aware of that. The discussions were with Gareth and his agent and, from what I’m hearing, Leigh were made aware of the clause.

“It’s in black and white and agreements are made to be respected.”