Aliir Aliir has been working overtime with legendary ruckman Dean Cox to hone his new AFL craft, with Sydney’s versatile big man keen to keep Essendon guessing in Saturday’s crunch clash

The 10th-placed Bombers host the 12th-placed Swans in an MCG match that will shape both teams’ finals hopes.

Both clubs are in the midst of a ruck crisis following injuries to Callum Sinclair and Tom Bellchambers but they’ve attacked the problem differently.

Essendon have banked on recalled veteran Zac Clarke to do the bulk of the tap work while Aliir and key forward Sam Reid will share ruck duties for the Swans, who overlooked mid-season draftee Michael Knoll.

Aliir was smashed in ruck contests by Gold Coast’s Jarrod Witts last Saturday, when Sinclair dislocated his shoulder in the opening minute at the SCG, but came to the fore whenever the ball hit the deck.

The 24-year-old has since had a week to learn from Swans assistant coach Cox, West Coast’s 2006 premiership star and arguably the premier ruckman of the modern era.

“He’s keeping it simple for me. He’s not trying to make me into a ruckman … I don’t see myself as a ruckman,” Aliir told reporters.

“We looked at footage from last week’s game. There were a couple of times when my timing was a bit off, I got caught back when a thrown-in was a bit shallow.

“This week we did a bit of stuff on the bags, him throwing the ball up and trying to help time my jump. My strength is jumping … I don’t want to get into a wrestle.

“If I can get that jump perfect, I know I can get on top of whoever is in there … I just have to keep their ruckman guessing all the time.”

The exciting defender has also been building a stronger rapport with Sydney’s midfield, including co-captains Luke Parker and Josh Kennedy.

“They just ask me the question ‘can you get over this bloke?’. Whether I say yes or not, they’re able to adapt,” Aliir said.

“They’re pretty comfortable with me in there … they have full belief in me.”

Aliir, who booted a goal against the Suns, is keen to run Clarke ragged.

“I’m not the usual ruckman. I’ll be moving around and trying to get the ball in my hands, providing defensive stuff but also pushing forward and trying to hurt them the other way,” Aliir said.

Aliir is ready to pinch hit for as long as required, which could mean the rest of 2019 if Sinclair, Darcy Cameron (quad) and Sam Naismith (recovering from a knee reconstruction) remain unavailable.