JASON AKERMANIS' first match against Brisbane won't be the only long-awaited sight on Saturday night with Joel Macdonald selected for his first game in a year.
Macdonald has been chosen on the Lions' interchange bench for the round 11 match with the Western Bulldogs at the Gabba.
The 22-year-old hasn't played since round seven last year when he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament and was forced to undergo a knee reconstruction.
Macdonald had built up a reputation as a solid defender in 32 senior matches over three seasons before being struck down in the club's horror 2006 run of knee injuries.
The 187cm home-grown Brisbane talent suffered the shocking blow against Hawthorn, the first match former Gabba crowd favourite Akermanis was dropped from in his 2006 fall from grace.
Macdonald has played four matches in the reserves since his comeback and fits into the Lions outfit following the omissions of Chris Schmidt and Scott Harding.
Co-captain Chris Johnson was ruled out with a lingering foot injury and his place has been taken by goalsneak Ash McGrath, who passed a fitness test on a knee ligament strain.
Young tagger Marcus Allan also makes his comeback after Luke Power failed to recover from a quad injury.
Allan was dropped a fortnight ago, missing the loss to Collingwood and last weekend's draw with Richmond.
Coach Leigh Matthews has stuck with a sole ruckman after naming Jamie Charman in the side and having Cameron Wood as one of his emergencies.
Matthews has admitted the late-fading Lions can't match the slick Bulldogs for their running power but wants to limit their impact.
"The Bulldogs are a really good running team but they have only won five games so they've obviously got other issues that aren't working so well for them but certainly they look good with the ball in their hands," Matthews said.
"We've got to play the games out more strongly and that's an ongoing issue but the general morale we are not where we want to be, we are four and a half wins, we've got to make sure we are competitive every week, keep persevering to be better
Also on the Lions emergency list is exciting rookie Albert Proud who has been in fine form with the Suncoast Lions.
