After announcing on Monday he will move to Melbourne in April, the Olympic 1500m champion revealed he would contest the 200m and 400m freestyle at the NSW titles next week against a national-strength field.

“Grant enjoyed racing at our meet (the Miami Super Challenge last week) and thought he needed to do more racing before (the) worlds,” his outgoing coach Denis Cotterell explained.

Hackett’s troublesome right shoulder, which underwent surgery a year ago and kept him out of competition for six months, has settled down after causing some discomfort last month.

“It was getting a bit too tight regularly which is why I had the MRI scan,” Hackett said. “That showed it was structurally sound but a bit swollen and inflamed.”

Half the Australian team will compete in Sydney at the state titles and the men’s freestyle fields will be particularly strong.

In the 200m, former world record-holder Hackett will face the first three finishers from December’s national trials: new national champion Kenrick Monk, his future training partner in Melbourne, Patrick Murphy, and Grant Brits.

The 400m will feature Craig Stevens, the man who pressed Hackett close at the trials, as well as national 5km and 10km champion Ky Hurst.

Meanwhile, the boy deemed most likely to challenge Hackett for distance supremacy at the Beijing Olympics, 17-year-old Park Tae-Hwan of South Korea, will arrive in Melbourne next week for a month-long training stint.

Park is ranked second in the world in the 400m freestyle (3min 45.72sec) and third in the 1500m (14:55.03).

Haileybury club coach Wayne Lawes will oversee Park’s training in Melbourne but he said Park’s regular coach would also be accompanying him.

“They have asked for me to be involved, but I don’t know yet to what degree,” Lawes said.

“I am happy to help him if he requests it.”