AFTER 11 weeks on the sidelines, Sydney Swans coach John Longmire doesn't expect Kurt Tippett to "set the world on fire" against Port Adelaide. 

He just wants an honest effort from his new key forward. 

Tippett arrived in Adelaide with his teammates on Friday, surrounded by television cameras that followed him all the way from the arrival gate to the baggage carousel. The cameras even left Longmire's press conference early to track Tippett's departure from the airport.

It's a return to football that most football supporters around the country are waiting for with anticipation.

But Longmire isn't holding his breath for a standout performance. 

"Playing his first game, we don't expect him to set the world on fire; we just expect him to play a role for us," he said on Friday.

"His expectations from us are just to make sure that he competes.

"His fitness is pretty good but we know that he still needs a bit of match conditioning and hopefully he gets that but he's able to help us be competitive at the same time. 

"Hopefully whatever he delivers tomorrow, he improves upon for the rest of the year."

Tippett's return boosts the Swans' status as the team to beat with their recent form suggesting they are in prime position to defend their 2012 premiership.

Longmire said he didn't care whether his team was in better form this season compared to last, nor did he care about the hype surrounding the reigning premiers.

The way he saw it, the Swans were fourth on the ladder for one simple reason.

"We haven't won as many games as the others," he said.

"Our last month before the bye, we were playing pretty strong football and a lot more consistent football than we were the previous three or four weeks.

"That's what we're trying to get going again - that strength of four-quarter performance that we showed a couple of weeks ago (against Adelaide).

"[Premiership favouritism's] not relevant for what we do – everyone has got an opinion and everyone's opinion changes on a weekly basis."

Harry Thring is a reporter for AFL Media. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_Harry