Agreed

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?

May be wrong but i do not think so, he was on the books at the Bulldogs played a trial game this year, and played for the Aussie Schoolboys. He is the kind of player Trinity seem to dig out from below the surface but who have a cracking pedigree and go very well for them.

Heard similar, as soon as Ainscough plays over certain amount of games, Wigan have to start paying him more, and we cannot afford to under the cap.

Maybe wrong, but what i heard.

I have seen this happen in the past at clubs i have played at, ie play 10 games and get a bonus, which ensured some very good young players only played 9 games and then were held back and eventually dropped down the leagues. Its a really bad practice if it is still going on.

I would hope the current management would not follow this practice, it basically holds back "bolters" like Sam Tomkins and Ainscough. A player should be paid what they are worth and Stevie Wonder could see these 2 lads were going to get significant game time this year.

Heard exactly the same on Tuesday night at Pats.

Ainscough as played 9 SL games. So that makes perfect sense.

Looking at the problems Trinity have on the Wing were I Noble i would have been very tempted to play Ainscough as he could have another field day.

Of there front line wingmen, Blanch, Murphy, George and Gleeson are all missing, Grix has been very poor on the wing but is there only option and they are maybe looking at Pieterson who has been out for an age, and is only just back.

Taking nothing away from Roberts display last week, if we have one player who is going to expose a ring rusty or inexperienced wing playing out of position it is Ainscough, with his agility and pace.

Would have been a big call but thinking about it maybe it would have been justified.

Yes 5 games last season.

I stand corrected.

No probs mate.

Now wait for some Rhinos fan to come chucking abuse -- because we signed a reserve grader from the NRL.

It'll be interesteing to see what happens if say Richards or Roberts picks up an injury then. K Pryce is out so we'd probably have to stick Bailey back in the centre and put Carmont onto the wing.

If something along those lines happens then there would have to be some truth in it.