THE SYDNEY Swans' former Canadian rugby union international, Mike Pyke, says he's not fazed by the prospect of taking on Port Adelaide’s much-vaunted ruck duo in Sunday’s first-round NAB Cup clash in Canberra.

At 200cm and 104kg, Pyke has the physique to match it with Brendon Lade and Dean Brogan, but the Power pair has the 24-year-old rookie well covered for experience.

Pyke said learning the craft from chief ruckman Darren Jolly had helped him prepare for his first competitive hit-out at Manuka Oval.

"It's exciting, to be honest. Every day I'm practising against one of the best ruckmen in the league. From things I've seen, Darren's up there," Pyke said after training on Friday morning.

"He'd be one of the top four in the comp and [the Power] have one of the best over the last few years [in Brendon Lade].

"If you can take a couple of balls off these guys, you'll have a lot of confidence going into your next game."

Swans coach Paul Roos said on Wednesday that Pyke would play a considerable amount of the match to fast-track his improvement.

He didn't start learning the finer points of ruck work until November but Pyke said he never had any doubts about his ability to compete successfully.

"I’m just having a crack. I've had a lot of support from the coaching staff, so I'm feeling confident," he said.

"Since I've come to the Swans, it's been all about ticking boxes every week and making that little bit of improvement. As long as I can do that, then I think I’m on my way."

Pyke will be one of several inexperienced Swans players taking the field against a Port Adelaide side set to be near full-strength.

While the relatively young Swans will be clear underdogs, he said the group was optimistic of its chances of progressing into week two of the NAB Cup.

"I think everyone's getting an opportunity now and I think that's the way that pre-season should be played," he said.

"I think the guys are really excited and we have a lot of good players taking the park, so we're quietly confident for Sunday."

Despite his eagerness to compete, Pyke wasn't confident of joining the ranks of players to score a goal with their first kick.

"I don't know, I wouldn't bet on me for that. It'd be a bonus," he said.

Dream Team watch – Mike Pyke is rated a $75,300 ruckman in Toyota AFL Dream Team 2009.