Cougars chief Barry Eaton believes some Super League coaches need a reality check when it comes to the tough Easter schedule.

Voices of dissent over the volume of games have become louder in recent years, with many questioning the wisdom of playing two games in four days.

After playing on both Good Friday and Easter Monday, Keighley make their third outing in a week in tomorrow night’s televised derby at Halifax.

But Eaton is not worried by the quick turnaround, even though his part-time players are forced to balance playing with working full-time jobs.

“Just about every Super League coach seems to be criticising the Easter period but they want to look at the schedule we have,” he said.

“All they need to do is rest and recover when they’re not playing games but I’ve got players who are working all day before training or are working nights.

“I see no problem whatsoever with Super League teams playing Friday and Monday once during the season. It’s only once so they shouldn’t need to complain about it.

“Look at the State of Origin in the NRL. That’s possibly one of the most high-intensity occasions in the game, yet players will still play in that and then back it up by playing for their clubs just a couple of days later.”

Eaton reckons the impact of the crowded schedule on his players means psychological, as much as physical, factors will come into play as they look to follow up Monday’s 42-10 win at Dewsbury.

He said: “We trained on Tuesday night and, although there were a lot of aching bodies, we had an extra spring in our step.

“We’re looking forward to it. Halifax have had a bit of a wobble but they’ve played against a couple of the more fancied teams, it’s not as if they’ve suffered some shock results.

“Leigh and Featherstone are capable of putting points on anyone in this league, just as Halifax are.

“We’re going to be massive underdogs but the biggest factor could be how the players deal with it psychologically.

“They are in the same boat as us and there will be a lot of bumps and bruises out there, so the team that copes with it the best should win.”