Brisbane great Jonathan Brown has urged Chris Fagan to consider former skipper Dayne Zorko as a playmaker at half-back and warned his old side against taking round-one opponents Fremantle lightly.
The Lions are searching for a new chief architect of their ball-movement after losing Keidean Coleman to a season-ending knee injury in their opening-round loss to Carlton.
Coleman's setback is a huge blow to Brisbane's premiership chances, but Brown pointed out time is Fagan's friend as the coach seeks a solution.
Dashing defender Conor McKenna will slot in at half-back when returns from a hamstring injury at Optus Stadium on Sunday.
Brown threw up 35-year-old veteran Zorko and Darcy Wilmot as further options to fill the hole left by Coleman's precise kicking out of the back half.
"It hurts them but you've got time to work around it and not get a new system, but certainly new personnel within that system, and get the right balance," Brown told AAP this week.
"McKenna will be a good in, Wilmot's been there and maybe Zorko goes back plays a little bit more there to help with their ball movement.
"But don't underestimate the loss of Coleman."
Brown said Brisbane only had themselves to blame for throwing away a 46-point lead against Carlton in the opening round.
The Lions now face the long trip west to face the Dockers without dual Brownlow medallist Lachie Neale, who has joined Coleman on the sidelines for at least one week with a tight hamstring.
Fremantle handed coach Justin Longmuir a one-year contract extension this week and will push superstar Nat Fyfe back into the midfield as they seek to rediscover the form that got them to the second week of the 2022 finals before a huge slide to 14th last year.
"They're going to be hungry," Brown said.
"They've been knocked around in the off-season by criticism and a bit of pressure on Justin Longmuir.
"But it's the hardest trip in football, so don't underestimate that, and they've had a pretty good pre-season.
"The Lions will be keen to bounce back but it's just how they make the adjustment around Coleman now because that's a big part of their game, how they get that ball movement side of things going."
Fremantle will be without experienced midfielder Jaeger O'Meara (medical reasons) for their first game of the season and have named off-season recruits Oscar McDonald and Jeremy Sharp for their club debuts.
Key defender Brennan Cox has proved his fitness, overcoming a fibula stress reaction that restricted his pre-season output, while Luke Jackson will lead the ruck with Sean Darcy sidelined after knee surgery.
McKenna, Deven Robertson and Noah Answerth were included in the Lions' 23 as replacements for Coleman, Neale and Jack Payne (omitted).
Brown this week unveiled ex Essendon champion Matthew Lloyd as the latest former star to join The Carlton Draft, a campaign that lures past greats out of retirement to help grassroots football clubs.
Lloyd joins fellow former AFL premiership heroes Trent Cotchin and Isaac Smith in the 2024 Draft class.
"We want the big marquee goal-kickers," Draft Commissioner Brown said.
"I'd say Lloydy wouldn't have lost the grass-throwing technique and he might cop a bit of feedback from Hawthorn supporters, depending on what club he goes to."
