Now I'm home, says Kurt Tippett

Former Adelaide Crow Kurt Tippett in a Sydney Swans jumper for the first time after his first training session with his new club. Picture: Phil Hillyard Source: The Daily Telegraph

FORMER Adelaide key forward Kurt Tippett was at peace with his controversial departure from the Crows as he settled into his new role with the Sydney Swans yesterday.

Tippett will serve an 11-match suspension and must cough up a $50,000 fine for his part in the messy saga that was sparked by a dodgy contract signed in 2009 - but he is ready to move on.

He was in a sunny mood as he spoke ahead of his first training session with the Swans at Lakeside Oval yesterday.

He would not be drawn into a slanging match over the episode that has harmed both his and the Crows' reputations. "I enjoyed my time in Adelaide," Tippett said.

"It was a good place, I met some great people, enjoyed my football there.

"But that's in the past now. I'm really excited about my future here.

"I felt that Sydney was the perfect fit for me. A tremendous club, a very successful club, premiership-winning club.

"One that's very well respected and Sydney's a great place as well. The future here is very bright.

"There was a little bit of time when I guess my future was a little bit unclear. But it's fantastic to be here.

"I look forward to playing football, settling in, training hard, preparing myself well and earning the guys' trust over summer.

"It's been a challenge, for myself and my family, but I'm happy to put all of that behind me now.

"I'm really excited about my future here in Sydney.

I felt that Sydney was the perfect fit for me ... the future here is very bright

"It's very exciting to be here in Sydney after a long off-season and a few little challenges. It's fantastic to be here to meet the players and meet the coaches and looking forward to playing football."

Tippett was given a prince's welcome by the Swans, with team-mate Jarrad McVeigh and coach John Longmire speaking highly of their marquee recruit.

Tippett said he had not spoken to Greater Western Sydney, which is understood to have delisted ruckman Dean Brogan in an attempt to land his services, confirming speculation he was signed and delivered to the Swans well before the saga surrounding his last Adelaide contract became public.

"I have the utmost respect for the Sydney Swans," Tippett said.

"They've got a great culture and I really want to be part of that."

Tippett was also unconcerned about the pressure that came with his price tag, which has been estimated to land between $800,000 and $1 million for his first season.

The Advertiser yesterday spoke to a range of Crows insiders, and the reaction was mixed - some remain angry with the defection and his perceived lack of loyalty, others said it was an unfortunate affair as a player who was thought of as a dedicated professional, a thinker and a considerate team member was lost to the club.

"I set myself pretty high standards and I'm just worried about living up to my own standards," Tippett said.

"He (Longmire) expects me to prepare myself and come in and play a role for this side.

"That's my focus - to develop a role I can play really well. I'm not going to speculate as to when my first game will be.

"Obviously I know I'll have 11 weeks out, I'll focus on training hard during that time and we'll take it from there.

"That's a non-issue for me now.

"I obviously missed a few games to concussion but came back was able to play the way I wanted to in the end so I'm happy that won't be an issue moving forward."

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