BRISBANE defender Jack Payne has been cleared of a serious knee injury and is a chance to face Greater Western Sydney in Saturday night's semi-final.
Payne was substituted out of the Lions' 28-point elimination final win against Carlton because of an injury to his left knee.
Scans on Monday cleared Payne of a serious knee injury, with the Lions hoping to have the 24-year-old running at training on Tuesday before making a decision on his availability later in the week.
Speaking earlier in the day, Brisbane co-captain Harris Andrews backed Darragh Joyce or nine-gamer Shadeau Brain to fill the void should Payne be ruled out.
"(Payne) is obviously very important, he is a big part of what we do down there," Andrews said.
"His ability just to compete hard and buy into our system down there is sensational.
"At the same time though we have worked without him this year ... so guys like Darragh Joyce and Shadeau Brain have had to come in and play roles.
"And that's the beauty of the backline a little bit, you play a system within a system, and I feel like those guys have done a great job throughout the year.
"If he (Payne) is right, it would be fantastic. If he's not, I am confident that the guy coming in will get the job done."
Joyce, who has played six games this season for a career total of 24 since his 2018 debut at St Kilda, flourished in VFL ranks last Saturday, collecting 12 marks in a semi-final victory.
The Lions meet GWS in a knockout final at the Giants' home ground, where Brisbane hasn't played since 2020 – the clubs have two wins each from four matches at the Sydney venue.
Since 2020, the six following games have been split between Brisbane's Gabba and the Giants' second home at Manuka Oval in Canberra.
