By MARK CASHMAN

It was always going to be a tough ask for the Hunter Wildfires to make their presence felt in this year’s Shute Shield when you consider all the hurdles that have been thrown their way.

The Wildfires only got the green light to compete four weeks out from the first game of the season and the jump in class has been something that coach Scott Coleman has been trying to bridge ever since.

There have been the blowouts brought about by slicker teams making the most of the back end of games but Coleman has been bringing his side up to the level required game by game.

So the Wildfires 28-15 win over the Western Sydney Two Blues on Saturday was a major step in the right direction for the Newcastle based club.