The Irishman is right in the selection mix for Saturday's clash with Essendon according to Brett Ratten, who also confirmed Nick Stevens would return after sitting out the first two matches of the season through suspension.
O'hAilpin, 26, has impressed the coach since rejoining the playing group following his club-imposed suspension, with his inclusion hinging on how the match committee chooses to cover the absence through injury of regular full-back Michael Jamison.
"It's whether you go for run versus height. That's probably the biggest one you speak about [at match committee]," Ratten said from Visy Park on Wednesday.
"If they [the tall defenders] are catching it, it's a great move and if they're not they get rebounded off, so that's the thing that we need to talk about. That's the conundrum that we'll go through."
Ratten agreed it would be quite a reversal in fortune for O'hAilpin, who drew widespread condemnation for punching and kicking teammate Cameron Cloke in a pre-season intra-club trial.
"That would be fair to say," he said of his possible inclusion.
"Just watching him on the weekend, he played in the ruck [to help regain fitness], and he was really bouncy and he's sort of getting back to the fitness levels that he needs to. That's two weeks that I've watched him live and he's shown that he's capable of 20-odd possessions playing in the ruck.
"He's right in the mix. He just had a bit of frustration with his legs and how he could run."
Mark Austin and Adam Hartlett were also mentioned as possible tall for tall replacements, with Shaun Grigg the running player most likely to come in if selectors opt for speed over height.
"Grigg will be very close … so we'll just have to work out that last spot to see who the unlucky person is or is it Grigg to miss out again?" Ratten said.
The coach admitted he was relieved by the news that the important defender Jamison would miss just two to three weeks with his shoulder injury, but also expressed his sympathy for Andrew Walker, who will go under the knife on Wednesday for another shoulder operation.
"He's very frustrated that this has come again," he said.
"He beats Judd in most runs, he's one of the fittest players you've ever seen in the game and to have another setback [is disappointing].
"He'll move on, he'll get through it, but it just takes up 15 or 16 weeks of the year."
