ADELAIDE coach Brenton Sanderson is confident there will be no lingering post-concussion hindrances for star forward Kurt Tippett when he returns from injury, but he won't play this week.

Tippett spent last weekend in Queensland resting, having been concussed for the third time in four games the week before against West Coast.

Sanderson said Tippett could line up next weekend, but that under no circumstances, even if Sunday's match against Essendon was the Grand Final, would he have played.

"He won't play this week…ask me that question next week and it might be a different answer," Sanderson said.

"It wouldn't have mattered if this was the Grand Final or any final, he wouldn't have played this week.

"It would have been foolish to play him this week, so we'll give it another few days and I'm sure he'll be up and about the week after.

"We'll certainly be comfortable that when we pass him fit to play and when Kurt's comfortable to play, we're confident that he'll go out and play footy just like he did prior to the concussions."

Tippett trained lightly on Wednesday and Sanderson said he was recovering well, but maintained the club wouldn't rush him back into the side.

"He's probably still not at the spot, medically, where we want him to be but he is really recovering really quickly," he said.

"His symptoms have pretty much all gone, he's just back to living life as normal.

"[But] if we're at this point next week and Kurt's still not in the frame of mind where he wants to go out and play then we won't play him either."
 
While the Crows will be without Tippett's services against the Bombers, Sanderson said another star tall in Sam Jacobs would return.

Jacobs was a late withdrawal against Geelong last weekend and the Crows clearly missed his presence both in the ruck and around the ground.

Sanderson said defender Sam Shaw should also be up for selection, while fellow backman Daniel Talia ought to have no trouble making the side despite a "nasty cork" suffered against Geelong.

"He's ready to roll this week," Sanderson said of Jacobs.

Sanderson also hosed down suggestions that the side's 27-point loss to Geelong last weekend meant it would struggle to match it with the top four clubs in the finals.

Former Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse said on Adelaide radio on Tuesday night that having now lost to Hawthorn, Collingwood and Geelong, the Crows might not be up to the standard to challenge for the flag.

Sanderson disagreed.

"It's great that people want to talk about us and we're not good enough and we're going to go any good…we've won 18 games from 22 we've played this year," he said.

"Geelong beat us at their home ground, we beat Geelong here by 60 points…we'll just wait and see, we'll just wait and see.

"Our best is good enough."

Harry Thring covers Adelaide news for AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_Harry.