BRISBANE coach Justin Leppitsch has made no guarantees on whether his forward lynchpin Jonathan Brown will be available for the round 1 clash with Hawthorn at Launceston's Aurora Stadium on March 22.
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The former Lions captain, who has played 245 games and kicked 573 goals in an illustrious career that has also included three premierships, played his first game for the year in Brisbane's practice match loss to Sydney on Saturday after a summer plagued by a foot problem, putting in a rusty performance.
The 32-year-old had just two touches in two quarters.
"We'll see how his progression is going and see how he's right for two weeks' time," Leppitsch said on the AFL website.
"We'll have a big discussion on whether he's ready for that game or the one or two after.
"(We) just have to make sure we do the right thing by him when his body's ready."
Brown's absence inside forward-50 would be a huge blow to Leppitsch in his first home and away match in charge.
The Lions have already felt the wrath of the reigning premiers this season when a very young Lions outfit went down by 131 points in the NAB Challenge, a contest in which it could manage just 3.5.
Brisbane could also be without midfielder Clay Beams, who suffered a foot injury against the Swans.
Beams was playing his second match back after requiring a knee reconstruction in 2013.
Ash McGrath, Brent Staker [calf injuries] and Stefan Martin [back] are other senior Lions on the injury list.
Hawthorn defender Ben Stratton is also in doubt after hurting his hamstring in the practice game against Melbourne on Saturday.
Midfielder Jordan Lewis could come under scrutiny from the match review panel for an incident with Nathan Jones in the first quarter of the match at Casey Fields.
Premiership duo Brian Lake and Cyril Rioli are already out of round 1 for suspensions following incidents in the grand final win over Fremantle, while Ryan Schoenmakers is still listed as one to three weeks away with his knee injury, with Brendan Whitecross on the long-term injury list due to his knee.
Devonport's Grant Birchall, playing his first game for the year, finished in the best for the Hawks in their 110-point win after a strong game off half-back.
The twilight match at Aurora, in which Hawthorn will show off its premiership flag, will start at 4.40pm.