The Vodafone Brisbane Lions are unlikely to change their backline structure to help stop AFL leading goal-kicker Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin’s when the Lions play Hawthorn this Saturday afternoon in Tasmania.

Lions utility Jared Brennan believes Senior Coach Leigh Matthews will resist putting two defenders on Franklin, preferring to remain confident in the Lions’ backline ability.

“Leigh is not too keen on that,” Brennan said prior to the team’s departure from Brisbane airport on Friday.

“He likes to back Daniel Merrett and Joel Patfull. They are good players and Leigh is pretty keen on backing them to win,” he said.

“I don’t think I have ever played in a team where Leigh has ‘double-teamed’ a full forward.”

“But if they get on the run, it will be very hard for a defender to stop that kind of movement.”

Brennan also refuted suggestions that he could be a likely match up against Hawthorn's most dangerous forward.

“I haven’t spoken to Leigh yet but I wouldn’t think so,” Brennan said.

“Joel Patfull is in unbelievable form at the moment and is probably the most suited match-up,” he said.

Brennan said the Lions cannot afford to play only patches of good football against the third placed Hawks.

“We know we have to play four quarters against a side like Hawthorn. They have great running capabilities and we don’t want to be chasing them all day,” Brennan said.

With the omission of Anthony Corrie, Brennan believes the Lions must look to their midfield to help out Jonathan Brown and Daniel Bradshaw in the forward line as the team searches for more goal-kickers.

“If I am a part of the midfield, I need to get one or two goals as well as the other midfielders,” Brennan said.

“Brown and Bradshaw kicked 10 goals last week and we still couldn’t win.”

“We need more goal-kickers.”