HUNTER Wildfires coach Scott Coleman was preparing for a Shute Shield stint without five-eighth Nate de Thierry.
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But a shoulder complaint suffered on the brink of full-time last weekend wasn't as bad as first thought, meaning de Thierry continues in the No.10 jersey for round three.
"Nate's fine, he'll play. It wasn't as bad as we first thought," Coleman told the Newcastle Herald.
The Wildfires have named the same starting XV and head to Sydney for the first time this campaign, meeting Gordon at Chatswood Oval on Saturday (3:05pm).
Hunter arrive following a 23-21 win over Southern Districts while Gordon have suffered narrow back-to-back losses.
"They're definitely a hard team and they've been earmarked as top four. We've just got to play to the best of our ability, which is nearly every week in this competition," Coleman said.
"We're confident and going into it with what we think is a good plan, as long as everybody executes their role we should be in the mix."