ADELAIDE defender Nathan Bock has avoided conviction and escaped with a 12-month good behaviour bond after pleading guilty to assaulting his girlfriend outside an Adelaide hotel in April.

The All-Australian admitted slapping his girlfriend twice on the face and breaking her handbag in an argument which broke out after another woman took an interest in Bock.

After the incident, Adelaide fined Bock $5000 and suspended him for one week.

Adelaide coach Neil Craig said he expected Nathan Bock to take his place in the side against the Swans on Saturday, despite the defender’s court appearance on Friday.

Bock will train at AAMI Stadium on Friday afternoon, but Craig there would be a “plan in place” should the reigning club champion be deemed mentally unfit to play.

“I’ll have a chat to Nathan and make sure he’s clear about his responsibility in terms of playing performance. It does make it easier for him because he’s been through it [the issue] publicly before and knows what to expect,” Craig said on Friday.

“He’s had some experience in trying to get his mind together and on the job. He’ll have a big job tomorrow with the guys he’s going to have to stand, in Barry Hall, Adam Goodes and, maybe, Michael O’Loughlin.

“I’m confident that if he thought he wasn’t up to it in terms of being mentally prepared to play he’d tell me.”

Bock was also ordered to undergo counselling.

The creative centre half-back has been in good touch since returning from a hamstring strain, but Craig admitted the intense counselling program had been disruptive to Bock’s training program.

“From our point of view that [counselling] took priority and we worked around that,” Craig said.

“Nathan had the flexibility of being here for the main training session and some critical sessions he needed to be at, but in general his rehabilitation has been his number one priority.

“He’s committed to it as he needed to be and that will be ongoing, not to the same level, but for 12 months.”