TALENTED tall Jon Griffin has been rushed back into Adelaide’s 28-man-squad to take on Fremantle on Sunday afternoon, but coach Neil Craig says the 21-year-old’s spot for round one is by no means guaranteed.

Griffin, who has overcome an ankle injury, supported former ruckman Ben Hudson in 16 of the 23 games last season, but with the emergence of Kurt Tippett and Brad Moran, Craig says Griffin and Ivan Maric would “not necessarily” be Adelaide’s first-choice ruck pair in 2008.

“I thought Kurt Tippett showed some really good signs against Collingwood in Dubai and I was really pleased with what Brad Moran did in the centre square as well,” Craig said.

“So, whilst we concede that, in terms of experience, we have nothing in our ruck, what we have got are four big guys with an enormous amount of enthusiasm. They see an opportunity there and they all have competitive natures, so there’s some real internal competition there and we’ll see how that pans out.

“But [the ruck battle is] open-ended, absolutely.”

Tippett, 20, was originally drafted from Southport in Queensland as a promising tall forward, but like Moran, who was recruited as a defender, his game time is likely to involve ruck work.

Griffin was also touted as a potential forward line prospect last season after he booted two goals against Richmond in round eight. Maric, too, showed some promise in front of goals last year.

Craig said versatility was a prerequisite for the club’s young ruckmen.

“I like the way Kurt Tippett plays up forward and I’m keen to have a look at Ivan Maric up there too,” he said.

“We saw a bit of Jon Griffin up forward last year and that will be important for us. We need to have guys that are not just ruckmen, but who are, at least, able to go up forward and perform.”