Playfair was crippled by chronic hamstring injuries during his first two years at the club, managing just 11 games in 2008 and missing all of 2009.
The injury threatened to end the former Geelong forward’s career, but the Swans threw him a lifeline at the end of 2009 with a place on the rookie list.
He has strung together several strong games with the Swans’ reserves this year and his good form, combined with Jesse White’s likely move into the ruck, prompted coach Paul Roos to suggest that the club’s faith in Playfair was set to pay off.
“Henry Playfair’s one who’s been really good in the seconds as well, so he might step up,” he said before the Swans’ training session at the SCG on Thursday.
“With Jesse going into the ruck … there’s a little bit of water to go under the bridge but he’s been playing for a while and his last couple of weeks have been really good.
“It does give us another option up forward. The other option is to go smaller, and we’ve probably tried both [options] against the Bulldogs with limited success.
“We’ve obviously got a challenge against a good side to come up with a side that we think is capable of winning.”
Jarred Moore (ankle) and Shane Mumford (suspension) will miss the Bulldogs clash, while Ben McGlynn’s quad injury will keep him out for another week.
However, the Swans will welcome Dan Hannebery (shoulder) back into the side, while Gary Rohan will have another chance to impress after his quiet debut against Geelong.
The absence of first-choice ruck duo Mark Seaby (ankle) and Mumford even led Adam Goodes to volunteer his services as a relief ruckman against the Bulldogs.
Goodes won the first of his two Brownlow Medals as a mobile ruckman in 2003, and said he was willing to help out again.
“If I can play a role in that position on the weekend, then I’ll definitely put my hand up for it again,” he said.
“In match committee, I brought it up. As a group of players with a few injuries at the moment, a lot of players might have to play different roles, and you’ve got to be willing to do that.”
However, Roos quickly put paid the idea of Goodes reliving his days as a tap ruckman, confirming that Mike Pyke and White would shoulder the centre-square duties.
“The reason we took Adam out of the ruck was injury prevention … you definitely wouldn’t see him at the centre bounces,” he said.
“We’ve thrown him in the midfield a couple of times in the last few weeks. Would we throw him in the ruck around the ground? Yeah, maybe … but in terms of [playing as] a second ruckman, we certainly wouldn’t be doing that.”
