Newcastle Hunter coach Scott Coleman believes his side were just about to hit their straps last season when the competition was cancelled after 10 rounds.

In their first season back in the competition, the Wildfires won three of their 10 matches before Covid ended the season, but finished their 2021 campaign with back to back wins over Western Sydney and Manly.

“I think we learnt pretty quickly that there are no easy games in the Shute Shield,” Coleman told Rugby News.

“The ruck speed and the overall speed of play is really quick and we’ve been working hard to improve those parts of our game.

“Physically, I thought we were up for it last year but we didn’t have the fitness or the speed of play that is required.