Bye no worry: Rutten
Ben Rutten says Adelaide won't be disadvantaged by its week off when in faces Fremantle
The introduction of the AFL's 17th team Gold Coast has created at least one bye in each round of the 2011 season.
The Suns and the Crows were the first two teams scheduled for a week's rest this year, so Adelaide will play its second game of the season against Fremantle at AAMI Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
On Monday, Fremantle skipper Matthew Pavlich suggested the Crows could be adversely affected by having to wait a week between games.
However, Adelaide has won the game after the mid-season bye for the past two seasons and Rutten said his side was enjoying a good build-up to the clash with Fremantle.
"We had the week off going into round one as well," Rutten said on Tuesday.
"A week off between games is not something that's new to us and everyone is going to experience it [the bye] throughout the year."
The Crows fought back from 30 points down against Hawthorn in round one to record an impressive 20-point win.
Rutten said the victory over the fancied Hawks in a frenetic atmosphere would hold the team in good stead for the rest of the season.
"It was an important win for the footy club and also for our playing group," he said.
"We had some new and some inexperienced players in the team and for them to experience a game like that, which I'd say was pretty close to a finals-type game with a finals-type build up, and to be able to play some of the footy we did and come away with the result against quality opposition was great."
Forward Kurt Tippett sat out the clash with the Hawks with an ankle injury, but improved his chances of playing against Fremantle at training on Tuesday.
Rutten often lines up against Tippett in training drills, and he said the 23-year-old basketball convert had improved his game over the pre-season.
"He hasn’t grown up playing footy. I think he's still learning a lot about the game, about movement and playing as a forward," he said.
"It's been a shame to have him out for the last couple of weeks, but he looked pretty good to me today."
Defender Michael Doughty didn't train with the team and is in doubt for the game against Fremantle with a leg complaint. Brad Symes and Brad Moran also missed the session through illness.
Rutten will celebrate his 150th AFL match against Freo. The former West Adelaide junior captained the South Australian Under-18 team in 2001, but was overlooked in the NAB AFL Draft because of concerns over his ability to recover from a knee reconstruction.
He was rookie-listed by the Crows ahead of the 2002 season and was elevated to the senior list the following year.
He made his debut against Fremantle in round 16, 2003, kicking three goals with his first three kicks before establishing himself as one of the premier defenders in the competition.
The All Australian full-back said he was proud to reach the milestone.
"I started off on the rookie list out here and it's something I can acknowledge as a good effort, but it is another game and the focus is on performance and trying to win the game," he said.