Now is the time for summer rugby: Brown
The cold snap before and after the Christmas break left some teams playing just one game in an eight-week period and this has resulted in many sides still having eight league games left this campaign.
Usually, the National Conference League's schedule draws to a close at the end of March, giving the top six a breather before the play-offs in May, but this season the programme has extended by over a month.
Midweek games are being squeezed into April to get all the fixtures done and dusted before round one of the play-offs on May 1.
This has left some teams, like East Hull, the prospect of playing five games in the space of 15 days next month to cram all their games in.
With the final of the play-offs and the National Cup final coming at the end of May, and the 2010/11 season due to start in August, this means many players will only be given June and July to recharge before facing the prospect of another nine or 10 month slog.
In comparison, the Super League players, who are paid to play and don't have full-time jobs to contend with, basically play from February to September and get the best part of four months off from competitive action.
Furthermore, the professionals very rarely have to worry about the prospect of games being postponed due to the weather.
And Brown believes the idea of changing the amateur code from a winter sport to a summer one would benefit them as it would mean no games falling victim to the weather and less problems with maintaining pitches.
He told the Mail: "I have never experienced a season like this before in all my time playing or coaching.
"The way this year has gone with fixtures falling by the wayside all the time, I think the idea of moving to summer rugby should be considered.
"The idea of switching amateur rugby to the summer is a really good one as the more skilful sides come through and do well and you get more free-flowing rugby.
"But when pitches churn up, you have to work extra hard to get games played and have to do a lot of repair work on getting the pitch ready for each game, which you wouldn't get in the summer.
"Also, the play-offs mean the players end up playing from August to the end of May and only get two months off before having to start all over again.
"Unlike the Super League players, whose job it is to play rugby, these lads all have full-time jobs and fit all this rugby in.
"It all takes its toll and this year we have had a lot of injuries because of it.
"With it being such a long season it is really difficult to play how we were playing at the start of the season in those first nine games.
"That was just a fantastic start to the season for us and we were pulling out results for fun."
At the start of the season Skirlaugh won nine games on the spin for a new club record run, but as the conditions worsened the Villagers struggled to maintain their free-flowing style of playing.
However, Brown is hopeful conditions will improve between now and the end of May to help Skirlaugh make a real go of the play-offs.
Brown, whose side hosts play-off rivals Siddal at Saltend this weekend, added: "We have struggled to get in any sort of form with the way the season has gone over the past few months.
"With the weather it has always been difficult to fit in the right sort of training and missing six weeks from action over Christmas did not help.
"The players still come to the games eager to go out there and give it all their enthusiasm, but they can't help but of lost a lot of the momentum they built up from playing week in, week out earlier in the season.
"It does not suit us when the conditions are like they have been and things get slowed down around the play the ball area.
"We perform well when the ground is hard and we can play a bit of football, that's how we like to play the game as we are a skilful side.
"We are hoping now the conditions improve between now and then end of the season as that will help us for the play-offs.
"We have been lucky enough to fit games in here and there so we will be able to have a few weeks off after the season before we go into the play-offs, while some of are rivals still have games to fit in and hopefully they get tired and fatigued before May."
Skirlaugh will have Steve Cochran and Danny Moss available to face reigning league champions Siddal.
The pair were sent off in the heated derby win over West Hull, but their suspensions have not started yet.
Wing Moss, however, is set to face a hearing on Monday about his sending off after allegations he bit West Hull player-coach Mark Hewitt on the arm in the dying moments of the game.
Skirlaugh coach Colin Brown
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