The demanding Easter period is an ideal time for a coach to assess the strengths - or otherwise - of his team, according to John Kear.

The Batley Bulldogs coach told Boots 'n' All that coaches up and down the land should look forward to the challenges posed by the hectic Easter fixture programme, because it offers them the perfect chance to measure performance and resilience.

Kear singled out Wigan chief Shaun Wane as a prime example of a coach who is prepared to tackle those challenges head on.

"I like Shaun Wane's attitude to Easter," said Kear, reflecting on the Warriors' 36-6 demolition of Wakefield. "When he was interviewed [about the fixture list] he said 'it's the job' and that's it.

"What they've got to do is they've got to realise they've got two games in a short period of time - try to get the four points and, obviously, that's what the Warriors did.

"Easter defines your squad's mental toughness and it defines their physical toughness as well, that they can play through a bump and bruise and that they can also between their ears get themselves up, not only for Good Friday but also for Easter Monday."

Changes

Fellow Boots 'n' All pundit Barrie McDermott pointed out that at this time of the season - and for the ensuing weeks - a club's depth of squad becomes all-important.

Although Castleford went down 12-18 to St Helens on Easter Monday, McDermott admitted he was impressed by the Tigers' commitment and work ethic.

"Castleford made wholesale changes - changes to four key positions; those players came in and they did incredibly well against Saints," he said.

"I personally think it's not just the four-day period you have to deal with, it's the two to three weeks after that because they can get themselves up mentally but it's again getting them in all day, every day - massaging the stiffness and soreness out of them; getting them gradually into the bump and grind of daily routine."

Tough

Success brings its own added pressures - and both Kear and McDermott suggested that Wakefield head coach Richard Agar might just be feeling the strain ahead of Friday's Challenge Cup round four showdown against Leeds.

Assessing the Wildcats' performance in the 36-6 defeat to Wigan, McDermott reflected: "I wonder what his [Agar's] objectives were before the game.

"We saw that they rested some players - now they have a tough game, to go to Headingley and get something in the Cup, so I wonder if he's set his stall out Friday and said to his players 'I'm going Friday to Friday - whatever happens Monday we'll deal with that'. I think he had half a mind on that Cup."

Kear agreed, saying: "It isn't a sacrifice [of two Super League points] because you are confident with the players that you've got that they can turn a performance and if they play well you've got a chance of winning, but I certainly think there was half an eye on Headingley Carnegie."