WATCH out AFL - Jonathan Brown is fit, lean and having his best pre-season in 10 years.
After returning from two weeks of altitude training in Arizona, the Brisbane Lions skipper was looking ripped and in pristine condition at Monday morning's team session at Coorparoo.
Brown suffered two horrific facial injuries that destroyed his 2011 season, but despite the setbacks, said there was a silver lining.
Having just turned 30, the champion centre half forward said it was the first time he had been able to start a pre-season fully fit in 10 years.
He played his final game of the season against Geelong on July 17 when he broke his jaw in a collision with Cat Harry Taylor and then teammate Mitch Clark.
On recovering from the facial fractures he quickly resumed training, and although loath to jinx his good run, Brown said he was fully fit and eager to ramp up his contact work in the coming months.
"There's a long way of the pre-season to go, but I'm in a really good spot that I don't have to overdo it now," Brown said.
"It's my first full one (pre-season) for a decade and now I just have to stay fit and healthy and my focus is getting back into football.
"It feels a bit strange doing football drills, but over the next couple of months I'll be able to get my feel again.
"I really haven't played since July and had some weeks off with my jaw, so I've had a good three months under my belt already - I'm well and truly half way through my pre-season and ahead of some others guys.
"After the best part of a decade of (pre-season) training on your own, I'm happy to be out amongst it and hoping I don't miss a training session all year."
Brown said he was a little leaner than his ideal playing weight and would concentrate on the gym in the coming months to regain his trademark power.
Brown is still undoubtedly the barometer for the Lions' success as he enters hid 13th year.
Last season the team was 3-7 with him in the line-up - including surrendering leads in both matches in which he was stretchered off - and 1-11 when Brown watched from the sidelines.
The two-time All Australian said the entire Lions group was in far better shape than previous seasons and he was excited about their prospects for 2012.
"Their commitment in the off-season to turn up in decent shape has been a hell of a lot better, so that shows where the group's mindset is at," he said.
"It is a younger side but it's pretty exciting. I think we've got some real good kids there but we need to complement them. The last two years our veterans haven't stayed healthy and we need to complement the younger players and hopefully we can stay on the paddock and support them.
"It's pretty exciting times for the club, no doubt about it. We're on the upward curve and we have to make sure our results follow that."
Michael Whiting covers Brisbane Lions news for AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @mike_whiting
