Lions coach Chris Fagan has hinted co-captain Lachie Neale could still feature in the grand final this year, should Brisbane overcome Collingwood next week to reach that stage again.
Fears were rampant the two-time Brownlow Medal winner would be ruled out for the remainder of the campaign when he suffered a calf injury last week against Geelong, forcing him to watch from the sidelines as his team completed a 53-point semi-final triumph of the Gold Coast.
But the inspirational midfielder is doing all he can to ensure he can be fit by grand final day, as the Lions push to defend their title and forge a new dynasty to rival that of the side’s early 2000s success.
“There’s no doubt he’ll try – we all know Lachie, he’ll be doing his best to be available. I don’t think he’ll be right for next week, but if we were able to get through next week … I think he’s trying to make sure he’s fit enough to play,” Fagan said.
“But we’ll just see how that goes.”
In Neale’s absence, Will Ashcroft and Hugh McCluggage put on a masterclass through the middle to complete a drastic turnaround of last week’s humbling defeat to Geelong – combining for 61 disposals and 18 clearances between them.
Their service proved instrumental in bringing the best out of Brisbane’s forward line – Zac Bailey and Kai Lohmann kicking three goals each, while Logan Morris helped himself to two.
The Suns looked ominous early to kick into gear, as Ben King claimed an early brace before Harris Andrews was moved onto, with the Brisbane skipper keeping the Coleman Medal runner-up to just three more touches from that opening quarter double.
But while the Queensland derby threatened to descend into an arm wrestle - with just a point separating the sides into the second term - two remarkable goals from Ashcroft and Cam Rayner triggered a drastic momentum swing.
Ashcroft’s strike just about facing away from goal kick-started a procession for the Lions, who kicked eight of the next nine goals to bury a Suns outfit that was largely deprived of star midfield duo Noah Anderson and Matt Rowell.
Lions vice-captain Josh Dunkley was at the heart of limiting the carnage the Gold Coast sensations could inflict, coming up with a finals record 18 tackles – along with 20 disposals and four clearances – to strangle Rowell of free rein.
Fagan revealed Dunkley had identified Rowell as his man early in the week, having cut a frustrated figure when the teams last clashed and the latter finished with 15 clearances.
Come Saturday night, he had just six.
“It was really important tonight we would win clearance and not let Rowell dominate us like he did last time, and I thought Josh Dunkley did a super job on him – that tackle count of 18 is phenomenal, isn’t it?” Fagan said.
“That’s Josh for you, one of the great blokes to coach. He wanted Rowell from early in the week, and he got that job done because he felt like he didn’t get it done last time.
“He was disappointed about how he went on Rowell last time – he had him earlier in the year and kept him to one clearance, and then he had 15, so he wanted to fix it.
“When Josh decides he wants to do things I don’t hesitate to let him do it, it’s just the nature of the beast.”