RE: Ainscough's defence. I think people need to look at the bigger picture. Defending high kicks is a teams responsibility and NOT just your winger. Apart from restricting the opposition to even getting in a position to put a bomb up close the line, the team need to put pressure on the kicker, so that he doesn't have the time to put an accurate kick in, then you need your centre to protect your winger when dealing with the high kick. It's what they do in the NRL and it's what we have done this season. Last season we quite simply didn't. There was no kick pressure on the last tackle - a notable improvement this season - and there was no-one protecting the winger, which left our wingmen exposed. The player running onto the ball has the momentum and time to judge the height of the kick. The defender doesn't. So Ainscough was caught out a couple of times, but it wasn't ALL solely his fault. Pat Richards, who is arguably the best catcher of the high ball, was caught out numerous times (Castleford away in particular springs to mind) due to our lack of defense/pressure on the last tackle kick player & so was Roberts as well (Leeds away Ryan Hall springs to mind). So although Ainscough does have areas in his defensive game that needs improvement they aren't as bad as some people make out. I think we he will fair a lot better in the current team now than the one he did last season.

People have their own opinions with Ainscough but I tell you one thing that's a fact not an opinion - he will be targeted on Friday especially when you consider the other option is Pat Richards.

There'll be no hiding place - I think its do or die for him. A shocker could spell the end of his Wigan career given the other options.

But it wasn't just the high kicks that Ainscough had the problems defending, it was also the short kicks in just behind him, and some of his decision making. A prime example was v Huddersfield for Cas a few weeks back when he was running the ball out on his own line. Instead of going to ground quickly he "stood up" and was forced back over the try line for a goal line drop out. Huddersfield scored in the next set.

I'm also not convinced that he's "the flyer" that he is made out to be, in fact I don't think he is in the top 5 fastest at Wigan.

As I said before it's a clean sheet for him and I hope he does well, and he'll get my full support on Friday.

Dont give him the 'bird' then !!!!!!!!!

I fully acknowledge that his decision-making and dealing with short kicks needs improvement, but I was just making the point that all the criticism thrown at Ainscough is quite harsh when you consider the bigger picture of how Rugby League is played. His decision-making I hope will improve with experience.

Ainscough is a quick lad, but it's his acceleration that is his greatest strength rather than his long distance speed. His confidence and the fact he will chase & try for anything leads to try scoring opportunities. The kick on for Castleford's opener against Hull KR being a good example.

A big game for Ainscough on Friday, but I don't think it will decide his Wigan career. He is a young lad for christ sake and has plenty of room for improvement as does any player - isn't Lee Mossop dropped for his defensive errors? I think the level of criticism for the lad is intense on this board & some people need to give it a rest. Yes, the lad has areas in his defense to improve, but that's no reason then to magnify every single error in his game & condemn him to exile from Wigan. Give the boy a chance (not getting at you here).

Aye. You're like the Gordon Brown of rlfans.

wonder how many people would be there paying out if there wasn't any "exciting stuff"!! If they were all working horses it wouldn't be worth watching - may as well go and watch the footy prancers! It's the exciting stuff that gets the crowd going.

He got recalled last weekend and it only got annouced today, as me and a a mate of mine saw him training with the first team sqaud at orrall on monday.

I find it a little surprising how short peoples memories, i also remember clearly Jason Robinson being a poor defender, but had that something special that the coaches identified.

It is possible to coach certain aspects of the game, defence is one, it is not possible to coach certain aspects and many of those aspects are what make him so potentially special going forward.

I have not seen much at Cas to think he could not make it at Wigan. On the plays where he was sucked in he had no choice, that close to the line with an overlap you have to make them pass the ball, he had to come in. He has been exposed on one kick where he air swiped the ball (another trait often displayed by Robinson in his early days.)

The big question is will he respond to the coaching, does he have the commitment to listen and work on his game. If he does he will be a try scoring machine for Wigan if he does not he will give a good returns but always have issues with his defence that will see him spend his career at mid table clubs.

Writing any player off with that special something is a massive mistake, the future is in his hands and hopefully he can rise to the challenge and forge a long term career at Wigan.

Think he has spent most of his time at Cas training with Wigan for most days in the week, training to Cas only on match preparation sessions.

But in many 21's games Marsh has shown himself to be greedy with the ball.

Good finishers usually are!

but the best know when to get rid!!!!!!!!

THE BOOM KID IS BACK.

Didn't Marsh score four tries in his last U21's game?

Quite frankly I want our most dangerous players to get the ball as often as possible.

Some people have mentioned Feka in this thread and his poor defence technique which came as a negative to his positive go forward. Most of this season Feka has struggled to have the same go forward as he has had in previous seasons due to the weight loss etc (although it has improved in recent weeks) but one notable attribute he has gained is much better defence with players barely able to beat him through the middle as they did easily in the past few seasons.

Ainscough has a poor defence technique but if Feka can have his defensive techniques improved by Maguire I'm sure the same can be done with Ainscough and with little to no effect on his attacking plays (bar fatigue)

Jonh is right defence can be taught and if Ainscough can shore that up then he is a promising young player and IMO deserves his place on Friday ahead of Marsh and Pryce.

Lets be honest everybody's past opinions of Ainy wont count for jack. Its a clean slate now MM has come in and he will be judged from Friday onwards. Hes got a great chance to show what he can do and iam sure he is bang up for it. I cant wait to see how he pans out under MM's management.

Ainey has a great chance here to show even the skeptics what he can do.

Quins will come at us hard, but they are not the best team in Super League. If Wigan can revert to their solid, pre-Salford form, and open the wings up, Ainey will never have a better opportunity to make the try-line his own in front of 16,000 Wigan fans.

Here here...

As soon as I picked up on the way this thread was going, JR sprung immediately to mind. I remember going to watch a Challenge Cup game back when he first broke into the team and being bemused at how poor he was in his kick defense. I also remember his tackling being poor at times too.

Yet he went on to be one of the greatest players in both codes. In regards to kick and clap, playing at fullback as he did, his kick defence and tackling had to be spot on.

My point is - I can see many similarities between JR and Shaun (at the same stage in their careers!), Shaun has time on his side, an excellent coaching system to work under and ultimately (Insert cliche here)...
Runthrough brick walls for Wigan/Cut him in half and there'd be Cherry and White/etc.

I honestly believe that he has the potential to become a very successful and talented player!

I also think he could be the creative spark in broken play we've missed since Amos' injury.

I like the exciting stuff !

Same could be said about Sam Tomkins, a lot of the time he does his little step off his left foot instead of passing when there's an overlap.

I'm not sure now.

Last season I was a supporter of Ainscough, though I did agree that he had his weaknesses.

Now I am not sure if he will fit into a MM coached team.

Hopefully he will, but I have a nagging doubt.