BULLS head coach Jimmy Lowes has repeated his calls for the RFL to scrap the gruelling Easter schedule.

Lowes’ men will play two games in four days with the bruising Good Friday win over Halifax swiftly followed by a trip to Dewsbury this afternoon.

The Bradford boss has branded the physical demands of the Easter programme as “ridiculous” and believes it is putting players’ welfare at risk.

Lowes will be forced to shuffle his pack today after Tom Olbison (head), Dale Ferguson (rib) and Jean-Philippe Baile (hamstring) all picked up injuries against Halifax, ruling them out of today’s derby.

Adam O’Brien was also caught late twice in the first half but has been named in the 19-man squad along with the fit-again Chev Walker and Dave Petersen, who is in line for his debut.

Lowes said: “We’ve got some busted people but I’m sure every club has at this time of year.

“At some point the RFL needs to realise that we just can’t play two games in four days.

“They preach to us about looking after our players but the most vulnerable time to get injured is when you’ve played a couple of days previously.

“You’ve not been able to recover. They go on about recovery and concussion procedures in place now, but they turn around and say ‘you can play in a couple of days’ time’.

“The guys have just not had the opportunity to recover and that’s the most vulnerable time for head bangs and muscle injuries. That’s across the board and it needs sorting.”

Lowes admitted he was not seeking to make wholesale changes for today’s game but will now be forced to.

Although men such as Matty Blythe, Karl Davies, Sam Bates and Jake Mullaney remain sidelined, the likes of Petersen, Walker and Etu Uaisele are set for call-ups.

“We’ve been forced to make some changes,” confirmed Lowes.

“I probably wouldn’t have done that if players hadn’t got injured against Halifax.

“But we will now be forced to make those changes and the lads who come in need to step up to that second-half standard that we showed on Friday.”

Dewsbury will go into the game on the back of a 21-6 win at Batley on Good Friday, with former Bulls Karl Pryce and Jason Crookes in their line-up.