By MARK CASHMAN

Playing elite level rugby in what they refer to in Newcastle as “God’s country” with its magnificent beaches and vibrant lifestyle has always been part of the pitch for emerging talents to come and try their luck at the Hunter Wildfires.

There’s been some flashes of promise at the Wildfires over the past 18 months but their skipper Carl Manu knew that the good people of the Hunter were on to something special during the July series of Test matches in New Zealand involving Samoa and Tonga.

Wildfires Henry Stowers, Olajuwon Noa started for the Manu, while Leon Fukofuka was in the wider Tongan squad coached by former Wallaby great Toutai Kefu.

And as the 38-year-old Manu told Rugby News this week the series of games really connected to local Hunter rugby community to the world stage.

“For me the best thing was when they were first named,” Manu said.

“Then when had all the guys together watching the games on Stan Sport and seeing them run on was just great, inspiring.

“It was fantastic for the guys from Wanderers and all the local clubs seeing the people that they have been training and playing with and all of a sudden the next week they’re out there against the All Blacks.

“These guys are all just really humble dudes and they were all there on the TV playing Test footy.

“I just felt that it was really good for all the younger guys, not only in our Wildfires squad, but right across the whole Hunter, to see that they’re not that far away.

“There are a lot of eyes on these game and for a guy like Noa it wasn’t something that was really expected at the beginning of the year.

“He only came into our starting side against Norths in Round Three but from there he has just blossomed.

“The other thing about these guys is that they are all really good dudes – good with all the other guys in our squad and they just want to be here. They have brought some great culture and attitude to our group.”

Manu, who works as a disability services office and dabbles in coaching, played professionally for close to a decade in Italy, turning out for Rome club Lazio, before coming to live in Newcastle.

The Hunter connection came through Kiwi teammate at Lazio Hayden Pedersen, a former Super Rugby Crusader and Highlander, whose wife is a Newcastle girl.

“I came to visit Hayden twice and ended up staying the third time I was here,” Manu added.

“When we lived in Rome it was 45 minutes to an hour to get to the beach, now I’ve got a home 500 metres from the beach and the lifestyle is very family friendly.

“In Rome the traffic was always a bit of a niggle but up here everything is only five minutes away.”

The Wildfires sit ninth on the Shute Shield competition table on 18 points from their three wins and six bonus points and of all the clubs will be the most game ready when things get underway again.

Squad members have been released back to the local competition under a draft system with the bottom team getting first pick of two Wildfires squad members.

It has had an immediate effect with teams like Singleton, who picked up Joe Timanai, breaking a decade long drought against competition heavyweights Wanderers a fortnight back.

Wildfires coach Scott Coleman says they would be ready to go at a moment’s notice and better equipped to cope with the fast pace of the Shute Shield in any restart.

They will have to cope without Stowers and Noa though as their time in the international spotlight has gathered interest.

Stowers has picked a contract at Canterbury in the ITM Cup while Noa attracted interest from the Manawatu Turbos in New Zealand and the Sharks in South Africa.

With the uncertainty around the restart of the Shute Shield, Coleman has waved them through to take up any opportunities.

Then there’s next year and ticking the boxes in the 2022 Participation Agreement.

In the mean time the rugby routine is very much alive and well in the Hunter – Tuesday, Thursday, a game on Saturday and recover on Sunday.

Luuuuuuuuuxury!

IMAGE: KAREN WATSON