Frank Winterstein is a fantastic, young player.

I went over to Wakefield the other week to watch our reserves v Wakefield and although we trounced them, he stood out a mile.

One to watch for the future.

Is Dale Ferguson injured?

I think the coach should pick the best 19 then 17 to Win The match This week!

End of!

If he thinks Ainscough is or isnt part of that then that's his call.

If he thinks Riddell is part of that then again, that's his call.

If every one of us picked our 19/17 then starting line up and positions we could/would pick 50 different teams. He can't win.

As Maddogg touched on earlier on, We've been crying out for a bigger squad with more options for years and as soon as we have it certains fans don't like it when the coach picks players they wouldn't.

I'll tell you what would be great, having a bare 17 and then losing 4 players last week and losing and then coming here scratching around for a team!
Then you would all be calling for his head again!

I am over the moon that nearly everyones fit & available (Can't wait for O'Carroll to come back into contention either plus I hope that more of the U21's start pushing for a place as well) and I hope that this continues for the next 5 months or so until the end of the season!

I personally hope that players are disappointed every week as this would be a fair indication that we have more players than spots available.

Me personally, I would pick same as last week bar Riddell (If Fully fit) over Mccollorum.
Nothing personal, just my opinion, but you know what? If he picks McCollorum instead and we win - BRILLIANT!

I am absolutely convinced that no other club/team coach gets ripped to shreds like ours from any of the other clubs fans on their forums to the extent that the Wigan club does!

Spot on!

Yeah, he injured his ankle at the magic weekend.

Big shame, as he's been one of our stand out players so far this year!

Although it does give Winterstein a chance to play, and from some accounts...as above, he looks like a decent prospect!

Should be a good game, and hopefully we'll manage to nick a result!

Just a thought, but with the lad being so young, is he being saved for the games that really matter?

ie the latter end of the season when, if he was playing every week now, he could be burnt out?

Or is Noble playing with his mind, making sure that next time he is in the squad he will have a stormer and send a clear message to BN saying "drop me at your peril"

I'm just struggling for reasons for SA to be dropped if I'm honest, Roberts, alright, hes a proven player, but not at wigan. Vealiki was a proven player and that turned out well!

He got injured at Edinbrugh.

Read it somewhere and iirc is out for a couple of weeks.

No!

I would suggest he's picked that team as "HE" thinks that is His best chance of winning that game!

End of!

Not kidding, he's been my bargain buy of the year in Fantasy League. Any idea how long he's out for?

Games that really matter? Every game matters!

If we beat you at the weekend then your challange cup run is over...every game in the cup is important!

100% correct.
I couldn't have put it better myself.

We've complained too long about having a paper thin squad. We now have depth and competition for places.

I'm looking forward to the Saints game at Orrell on Friday, to look at the next batch of challengers, because that will show how far we are moving as a club.

Strength throughout the club will be the key to success over the next few years.

Waiting for scans to come back but it seems like it will be a couple of weeks at best!

Correct, not one player has a bad game.

what a load of rubbish so what if we beat saints last week ainscough has earned his place in the quad by a mile he keep s saying he needs work on some areas so does half the so called senior players

Dropping Ainscough for the first Wakefield game was a shocking call from Noble in my opinion at the time but due to circumstance he played.

Noble picked the right team last week despite the raised eyebrow from myself and others and he should stick with the same players in the backs as nobody deserves to be dropped. I would though bring Ridell back into the team at the expense of MM, its a tough call but Wakefield are very good around the ruck and i think his experience and delivery in that department tip the balance his way.

I do hope though that if/when Roberts, Phelps, and Richards (although because of his kicking less so) have a poor to average game they are dealt with in the same way as Ainscough has been and are dropped untill they get there chance again due to poor form of injury.

Careful. That sort of tone links you with the 'Ainscough should be in at any cost because he's a Wiganer' brigade.

Personally, I think he should be in too. But I can see why he isn't.

In recent years, we really have been lulled into thinking that Wigan born players should come first, even at the expense of a carefully thought-out game plan (as was shown against Saints). Perhaps we - and I include myself in this - ought to look at the bigger picture. Having a large squad, with everyone keen to get selected is always a good thing - but it produces casualties too. Harsh, but it's a fact of life in professional team sport.

Jonh,
I agree. I would bring Riddell back in. On your last point, I think Noble has been pretty fair this year in that Smith, Coley and Roberts have all been left out at certain stages. We're fortunate in that we do have strength in depth at the moment, so players should be dropped if they don't perform or rested if necessary.

How was your head on Saturday morning.

Spot on - I like the ruthlessness of what's happening recently with team selection and I do respect Noble enormously for having the guts to go with his own instincts instead of following what almost everybody else wants and expects.

As I said previously, I don't think the team should be changed.

However, Noble got it right last week after suprisingly leaving Ainscough out and many anti-Noble supporters will probably struggle to acknowledge that.

What I can't understand, is that last week we played some fantastic Rugby League and performances like that won't happen happen every week, so why change the squad?

If it's to adapt to new opposition then fair enough, but this obviously isn't the case as if it was, we'd surely play a winger who scored four tries against the same opposition just two weeks ago?

I suppose on paper, the starting squad can still stay exactly the same but it's unlikely.

I agree i think it is testamant to the squad we have built my only problem is I think we are an outside back heavy and a Prop light from having just about perfect balance in the squad, but that is down to Roberts becoming available a year early, although i do still feel it was a strange signing for 2010 regardless.

Regards my head on Saturday i was fine up for 7 and a walk down to Leath while the rest of my group recovered then just continued drinking through till mid day sunday.

The head on Sunday night, Monday and Tuesday though when the delayed hangover did kick in was not good!



Actually started to think i imagined meeting you and your good lady up there for a bit! The entire Edinburgh experience is more than a little blurred truth be told.

Do you remember seeing me at half time?

You didn't seem to smashed at that point to be fair.

Agreed

Mate i was plastered when i met you!



Cannot believe i recognised you given i could hardly see by that point of the day!

Do not remember the conversation but i am sure it was less than coherent!



Its what weekends away with the lads are all about though!

Did Winterstein ever play first grade NRL?

Dipping Ainscough in and out of the squad is savy tactics by Noble. Shaun is an outstanding talent, but we are lucky that we can break him into the team slowly at a rate that we develop him into a better player. No doubt he'll be a future Wigan star.

As long as Noble allows Ainscough to get some games under his belt it will be a positive move, but for next season, if Ainscough continues to progress, I wanna see him feature, I believe he has the potential to be world class.

There is another issue, I was speaking to a family member of a Wigan reserve player, and supposedly if a player plays x amount of games in the 1st team their contract has to be reviewed. Could this also be a factor?