Betts calls for an end to Easter double header

Widnes coach Denis Betts wants the Easter double header weekend scrapped following their 62-6 defeat to Huddersfield on Monday.

Betts sent a weakened team to the John Smith’s Stadium, including young academy products Tom Gilmore, Grant Gore and Jack Owens, just three days after a surprise 38-22 win over Warrington.

The likes of Patrick Ah Van, Rhys Hanbury, Jon Clarke and Eamon O’Carroll dropped out from Friday’s team, joining a list of players on the sidelines that already includes Kevin Brown, Cameron Phelps, Stefan Marsh and Ben Cross.

Betts said: “Easter been a part of my life since I can remember but I think you’ve got to look at this and say ‘it doesn’t work’.

“You cannot play the game the way it’s played now and expect two games on a weekend.

“If you’ve got two big squads, you can do it but today I had four or five lads out there who had played one or two Super League games.

“I didn’t put them in because I wanted to see them play, I put them in because I didn’t have anybody else.

“I’ve got to look at the bigger picture as well, The war’s not won this weekend, it’s just another battle. I’ve got to keep my soldiers on their feet.

“When you see these lads the day after they’ve played, to turn them around two days later is close to cruelty.

“Sometimes you have to let go a little bit of the tradition and move the game forward. The reality of the game now is that it’s a lot more physical and the collisions are a lot greater constantly.”

Only Wigan won both their games over the Easter weekend, with Leeds and Bradford both escaping the double headers unbeaten.