But this weekend the new Macquarie Raiders recruit will get a real taste of what's it all about when he makes his Western Rams debut in the opening round of the Open-Age Country Championships.

It will begin what Gordon hopes is a massive 2021 and while he knows the chance to play with Western will be special, getting to line up in Group 11 alongside Raiders captain-coach Alex Ronayne, who he grew up alongside, is what he's looking forward to the most.

"It's a privilege to pull on the Macquarie shirt, to be honest," he said.

"There's a few from Bourke who have played there, blokes like Darren Jackson who had a lot to do with their success, and after talking to them and having the chance to play with Aka (Ronayne), one of my best mates, it was a no-brainer."

After roughly 18 months away from the game, plenty is expected of Gordon in 2021 given his resume.

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After making the move to Sydney for boarding school, Gordon stayed in the city and went on to earn a place in the Canterbury Bulldogs under 20s side where he played alongside the likes of David Klemmer and Moses Mbye.

He went on to become a regular in the NSW Cup before spending a season in England with Workington Town, playing in the second division under the premier Super League competition.

A return home followed, where he spent a season playing "muck-around" footy with mates in Bourke before almost two years off as he established his own business, got married and, most recently, welcomed a baby daughter into the world.

"I definitely don't think it will be a walk in the park," he said of running out with the Rams against Monaro at Canberra this weekend.

"It's going to be tough but it will be a good test and chance to see where we're at. After the shamozzle of last year for everyone involved in sport this will be a good test."

And what can the Rams, Macquarie, and fans in this region expect to see from the prop this season?

"To be honest, I'm no captaincy material but I like that leadership role and I'm a big lad and a loud lad, too. My talk and encouragement is my biggest thing and I love defence," he said, before laughing about his approach to a match.

"I'm the type of bloke to build up my anger during the week to let it out on the weekend."

Western selection came as a surprise to Gordon given his lack of footy in recent times and his inability to attend all Rams training sessions following the recent birth of his daughter.

But he was on deck at training last week and liked what he saw not only in terms of talent, but the unity and motivation within the squad.

"In the UK you play 29 games in the general season before finals so it's a long, cold, hard slog and the body was in tatters a bit so it was good to refresh," he said, before looking at the Rams.

"It's good to have a side where everyone clicks and everyone teaches everyone and no-one is afraid to do so.

"You can play footy everywhere under 10, 20 or 30 coaches but you won't learn it all so it's good to go into something like this, and Macquarie is the same too."

While he's new to the Rams set-up there's familiar faces in the squad for Gordon.

He'll be part of a powerful forward pack alongside Raiders teammates Jack Kavanagh, Rob Mafi, and Ronayne while he played plenty of footy with and against halfback Harry Siejka, who was originally named at halfback but has since been ruled out, during their past stints in Sydney.

The Rams take on Monaro from 1pm at Kippax on Sunday.

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