Kurt Tippett hasn’t played a game in two seasons but he’s the key to Sydney’s mid-season draft hopes

Sydney Swans could secure entry into the mid-season draft if Kurt Tippett signs an official retirement document which would remove him off the club’s list.

Former Sydney star Kurt Tippett looks poised to sign a retirement form in the ­coming days which would give the struggling Swans a shot at fresh Blood in the mid-season draft.

Despite not playing a game for the club since 2017 after effectively calling time on his career due to chronic injury, Tippett has remained on the Swans’ rookie list as a mechanism to help pay out an agreed portion of his multimillion-dollar deal.

However, if Tippett signs an official AFL form confirming his retirement, Sydney can finally remove him from their list and find a pain-free entry into earning themselves a prized mid-season draft pick on May 27, which could aid them in their rebuild.

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One intriguing option Sydney could consider out of the potential pool is 19-year-old Kyle Dunkley, the son of 217-game Swans great, Andrew Dunkley.

Sydney is desperately searching for the next hidden gem, and over the years their gun recruitment team has had more success drafting than most clubs.

As it stands, Tippett hasn’t signed the retirement document, but it’s understood the formality could be processed and ticked off as early as within the next 48 hours.

The mid-season draft is based on reverse order on the ladder after round 10, and with Sydney in 16th place and without Lance Franklin for Saturday’s round-seven clash against Brisbane at the Gabba, they could enter the lottery at the pointy end.

There is no guarantee the Swans would ultimately act upon their pick, but their recruitment spies are scouring the field to ensure their homework is done.

Kurt Tippett during Sydney Swans training ahead of final with Essendon. Picture. Phil Hillyard

Without the Tippett golden ticket, Sydney’s only other way of being able to enter the draft would have been if a player was ruled out for the season or retired.

There is still no return date in sight for injured veterans Heath Grundy (back) and Nick Smith (hamstring), but at this point the Swans remain hopeful that they will play again in 2019. Indications are the mid-season draft will be a limited field, with some clubs ­choosing not to look at the options ­available.

One potential blow for the Swans is the understanding that there is no father-son ­eligibility in the mid-season draft, meaning Sydney would have no priority on Dunkley from other clubs if he did enter their radar.

Dunkley has completed a VFL pre-season with Footscray and is averaging 18.5 disposals, eight tackles, 4.5 clearances and 1.3 goals for the Gippsland Power.

The hardworking teenager is the brother of premiership Western Bulldogs player, Josh, and it’s understood he is being considered by a couple of clubs.

Tippett, for all intents and purposes, hung up his boots before the 2018 season, but the Swans can save some money in the salary cap by re-drafting him on the rookie list.

If Tippett signs the form, it won’t effect his agreed ­payout.

Sydney picked up young ruckman Hayden McLean in the pre-season draft but he suffered an early injury and had an operation on his knee which ruled him out for six weeks.

The Swans must ­exhaustively prepare for the mid-season draft for the simple fact they would need a Plan B if a player was to suffer a ­season-ending injury the day before.