STAR Sydney Swans recruit Kurt Tippett will play in an intraclubmatch this weekend in preparation for his likely debut in the Swans'next match against Port Adelaide.
Tippett will break off the shackles on Saturday in preparation forhis first AFL match since leaving Adelaide in controversialcircumstances.
His 11-game ban (due to irregularities in his contract with the Crows) finally ended with the Swans' strong victory over his former club, a win that has the Swans sitting third on the ladder at their mid-season break.
Swans coach John Longmire said on Monday that Tippett will almostcertainly slot straight back into the team, and will play solely as aforward, initially staying out of the ruck due to his enforced layoff.
The Swans will now play a scratch match on Saturday as they ramp uppreparations for an assault on back-to-back premierships in the secondhalf of the season, a chance for Tippett to find some form.
"In an ideal world it would've been good to get a game into him, butwe're going to have a pretty solid training session this week as well,"Longmire said.
"We'll replicate a game-like situation, which we normally do in the bye.
"Sometimes that's as good as a game in the reserves with the pressure the senior guys will apply all over the ground.
"We'll give him a good work out."
With Tippett's ban over, the Swans have an embarrassment of talloptions, with Tippett, Shane Mumford, Mike Pyke, Lewis Roberts-Thomson,Sam Reid, Adam Goodes and Jesse White all capable of playing keypositions up front.
But some injuries have eased the potential selection headaches the club was facing in the short-term, with Mumford requiring surgery on a fractured cheekbone that will sideline him for three-to-four weeks.
Roberts-Thomson is also around a month away from a return from a kneeinjury, with Reid (quad) tipped to be close to full fitness after thebye.
Longmire makes no apologies for the bevy of tall options at hisdisposal, believing depth is a significant requirement of all clubs.
"Very rarely do you get a full squad absolutely fit," he said. "That's just what happens in AFL footy.
"When you see the attrition rate in AFL footy and the injuries youget, very rarely do you get a full squad with everyone to pickfrom.
"It's probably unrealistic to suggest that every tall player on oursquad will be available for selection at any one time. It just doesn'thappen.
"So history suggests you need a good, quality group of tall blokes tobe able to compete and cover for each other if there's any injuries."
The Swans have soared into the bye with three straight victories,suffering just two losses and a draw against Fremantle from their 11games so far.
The defeats came against Hawthorn and Geelong, the only sides abovethem on the ladder, and two teams the Swans meet again before thehome-and-away season draws to a close.
Not surprisingly, Longmire is content with his side's standing at the halfway point.
"The first five or six weeks we played some good quarters, but didn't put together good games," he said.
"The last month has been a lot more consistent and our pressure andthe way we move the ball and the way we defend has been a lot better."
James Dampney is a reporter for AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_JD
