Leeds Rhinos captain Stevie Ward has urged caution over condensing Super League fixtures after the coronavirus pandemic.
Ward recognises the schedule will need to become more intense in order to get the season finished and acknowledged the importance of "getting big games played" once sporting restrictions related to the proliferation of COVID-19 have been lifted.
But the back-row forward, who himself is out injured with a head injury, is worried over the impact on players' health, as well as a hit to the quality of matches if teams are being asked to play frequently.
His comments come after Rhinos CEO Gary Hetherington suggested players should be prepared to play three times a week.
"As a player, I'd have a concern of how many games you play in a week," Ward said to Sky Sports.
"It's a tough game, it is a collision sport, it's a brutal game and there's only so many amount of players that teams have.
"So how much that condensed season would affect players and injuries and the player welfare side of it is something to think about.
"You've got to think about the quality of the games. If there's a lot of games in one week, there's going to be some tired bodies, some tired players out there.
"It's not going to be the games you're used to seeing that's 100 per cent going all-out at it."
