The Bay men play Manawatu in a Furlong Cup two-day match at Fitzherbert Park, Palmerston North, from tomorrow to earn the right to challenge for the Hawke Cup, the symbol of minor association cricket supremacy.
However, the Bay coach says "pop-gun bowling" at premier club competition isn't a fair indicator of graduation to higher echelons, although it is commendable.
"People, coaches and chairmen and what not just have to back off and let the young man play his game because from outside people can see what he's doing."
Schaw says Schmulian has yet to score a Hawke Cup century, something he feels the batsman is capable of.
"We've got several guys in this squad who have scored Hawke Cup 100s and are still trying to get further [in their career] so things have to be put into perspective.
"I'm just asking a few of those guys to just leave him [Schmulian] alone because you can't pick a guy for a first-class side just because he's scored a big hundred in premier club cricket so we just have to be realistic."
Schaw says the 26-year-old South African-born right hander, who can tweak a ball, batted extremely well against Poverty Bay in the Kirk Cup match for his unbeaten 118.
"It'll be a big test for Brad this weekend and I hope he succeeds because he's a great guy who just loves the game.
"I think he needs to concentrate on the bat rather than trying to become an allrounder because that's what he's best at and that's what I'm trying to get him to do in our side."
Schaw says Manawatu will be a totally different side to what the Bay have faced so far this summer, after beating them in the Chapple Cup last month.
"I know none of the Stags are playing because they are not releasing them after four days of [Plunket Shield] cricket to Hawke's Bay so I presume it'll be the same for the other [districts]," he says as the CD Stags and Northern Districts Knights play the final day of round five of the first-class match at Nelson Park, Napier, today.
He rates the Bay side based on their training, seam attack and batting way down to No 11.
"Our 12th man Ben Stoyanoff misses out but he can bat as well.
"The biggest threat for me is the weather down there but we just want to see two days of cricket played," he says, mindful first-innings points will be a good insurance cover.
"We want this challenge because we haven't been tested, apart from when we went to Bay of Plenty over Labour Day weekend where the guys performed well."
Schaw says he has huge respect for Manawatu coach and former CD/Black Caps seamer Michael Mason "who is a good guy".
He likes to think he has brought a similar work ethics and culture to Mason in the past 18 months as Bay coach.
In Schaw's playing experience, he recalls Fitzherbert Park has a tendency to do a little for spinners on the second day so his four seamers/two spinners attack covers for that.
However, he says Manawatu is the yardstick for their cup season so the players need to lift their standards another few notches from the performance against Horowhenua-Kapiti.
BOTH TEAMS
HAWKE'S BAY: Jacob Smith (c), Matt Edmondson, Rupert Young, Bradley Schmulian, Indika Senarathne, Angus Schaw, Christian Leopard, Scott Schaw (wk), Giliam Christoffel Pretorius, Liam Rukuwai, Liam Dudding, non-batter Ben Stoyanoff.
Coach: Colin Schaw.
MANAWATU (possible): Dave Meiring (c, bracketed with Arana Noema-Barnett), Luke Murray, Mitchell Renwick, George Worker, Dane Cleaver, Whetu na Nagara (wk), Thomas Kuggelelijn, Henry Collier, Scott Davidson, Tim Richards, Navin Patel, Nick Blundell.
Coach: Michael Mason.