Kurt Tippett's path to September has been precarious and problematic but the Sydney star feels he is fit, building form and ready to fire in the AFL finals.
Tippett, who rolled his ankle in the final round of the regular season, is adamant he will be ready for the club's home elimination final against Essendon.
The veteran joined the Swans after the 2012 grand final and has endured a wretched run of injuries.
Throw in the 11-match suspension for Adelaide's salary cap breach and it means the high-profile signing has managed 74 games in five seasons.
The 30-year-old played through a pain of a fractured jaw in last year's grand-final loss but 2017 has arguably been more frustrating.
Ankle, hip and groin issues plus patchy form have combined to restrict him to nine AFL matches.
As such, it would be understandable if he thought the worst after landing awkwardly in a ruck contest against Carlton last Saturday.
"I've hurt it a couple of times so I certainly know what I need to do to get it right," Tippett told reporters on Thursday.
"It hurts a bit, it's a bit of a shock at the time but it's something that's happened a few times.
"The bye week certainly helps out ... my ankle will be good enough to play."
Tippett described his season from hell, which included speculation he will become trade bait, as challenging.
"There's been a few ups and downs but you can't complain," he said.
"There's certainly players who have it worse and there would be guys loving to be in this situation right now.
"You ride the rollercoaster of a season, now we're here at the start of finals and it's the most exciting time in footy."
Tippett is no longer an automatic selection at the Swans, with fellow big man Sam Naismith set to be passed fit for week one of the finals.
But his game-breaking best is capable of rattling any rival.
"I'm certainly hoping my best football for this season is ahead of me," Tippett said.
"The last four weeks has been good and I feel like I've been building and feeling better each game."
Tippett was dropped after round 10 and didn't return until round 20, with the club wanting him to get his body right.
The ruck-forward admitted he may have hurried back from injury too quickly prior to being axed.
"In hindsight you might have taken that time a little bit earlier and given it a little bit of time and strengthened it up," he said.
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