BRISBANE learned its lesson two weeks ago when playing Gold Coast and won't make the same mistake on Saturday against Adelaide, says coach Chris Fagan.

In the most recent QClash at Heritage Bank Stadium, it was the battling Suns who played with an intensity and desire akin to a premiership favourite, rather than their Big Brother Lions.

The result was a 41-point triumph for Steven King's team and a momentary breath of life into their finals chances.

Ahead of facing the 11th-placed Crows at the Gabba on Saturday, Fagan said his team had learned some lessons from that match he hoped would carry them through the rest of 2023.

"It is like every game's a final," Fagan said on Thursday morning.

"That's the mistake we made against the Gold Coast, we underestimated how desperate they were to keep their finals hopes alive.

"They went the journey in that game, and we didn't quite, but I thought we learned the lesson from that in the Fremantle game ... they challenged us, they brought their best, not just their best footy, but their best effort.

"We get another opportunity to put that into practise this week with Adelaide.

"We know it's going to be a finals-like game. We know what's coming."

Brisbane bounced back last week with a hard-fought three-point win over the Dockers in Perth, who have played some of their best football of the season in the past fortnight.

The win all-but assured the Lions a spot in the top four, with their eyes now set on a top two finish and a home qualifying final.

Oscar McInerney should return from an ankle problem after missing the trip west, while Keidean Coleman (eye) will spend another week on the sidelines.

Fagan said it was an interesting time of the season with teams jockeying for positions.

"We all talk about these theories about wanting our teams to be at their best at the right time," he said.

"I've been in this game for 25, 26 years and I think that's a very inexact science.

"I think what you're trying to do is get as many of your players available as possible and in good form and feeling confident.

"It's an interesting time of year.

"There's lot of teams just outside the eight that can get in the eight, so they're playing hard.

"There's teams like us and Collingwood and Port and Melbourne, we already know we're going to be in the final eight, we just don't know where.

"There's mixed motivations and agendas and that's why there's topsy turvy results at this time of year."