Where and when: SCG, Saturday, May 1, 7.10pm
Head to head: Sydney Swans 18 wins, Brisbane Lions 21 wins, one draw
Last time: Sydney Swans 14.8 (92) def by Brisbane Lions 15.10 (100), round 22, 2009 at the SCG

MISSING IN ACTION
Sydney Swans
Craig Bird (foot) - 3-4 weeks
Craig Bolton (achilles) - TBA
Ben McGlynn (quad) - 2-3 weeks
Jake Orreal (back soreness) - TBA
Kristin Thornton (knee) - 3-4 weeks

Brisbane Lions
Jed Adcock (quad) - test
Amon Buchanan (thumb) - test
Jamie Charman (ankle) - 2-4 weeks
Xavier Clarke (knee) - indefinite
Mitch Golby (knee) - 2 weeks
Daniel Merrett (hamstring) - TBC
Luke Power (hip) - test
Justin Sherman (thigh) - test
Cheynee Stiller (hamstring) - test

FORM
Sydney Swans: LWWWW
Brisbane Lions: WWWWL

SUMMARY

The Lions lost their first match of the season last weekend in an upset by Melbourne while the Swans' only loss of the year, back in round one, is a distant memory. The Sydneysiders have been red hot over the last month, beating Adelaide, Richmond, North and West Coast to make a mockery of gloomy pre-season predictions and sit atop the premiership ladder.

 

With due respect to that quartet, the Lions will provide a much sterner test despite last week's slip-up at the MCG.

Perhaps key to the battle will be the availability of Justin Sherman, Luke Power and Jed Adcock who will all undergo tests. The Swans lost Craig Bolton at an inopportune time with menacing key forward tandem Jonathan Brown and Brendan Fevola coming to town.

 

PLAYER TO WATCH
Daniel Bradshaw has admitted to a few butterflies ahead of his first match against his old side, but the confidence gained from his last-start six-goal effort should settle him down. After being shopped by Michael Voss in his quest for Fev, Bradshaw must be quietly itching for a big game.

Voss swore black and blue ahead of the Melbourne game that there was nothing wrong with Jonathan Brown despite a very light training load. Whether he was fit or not, Brown was uncharacteristically quiet against the Dees and will need to play a larger role if the Lions are to prevail.

QUESTION MARKS
Can the Swans effectively counter the twin scoring threat of the Brown-Fevola tandem without Craig Bolton in the side?

Can Kieran Jack reproduce the eye-catching form of last week?

Will the Lions throw off injury concerns to reaffirm their top-four credentials?

WHO WILL WIN AND WHY
The Lions defeated the Swans twice last year but in the seasons leading up to that they really struggled with Paul Roos' men and the SCG. Was last year the start of a trend or a blip on the radar? The Lions appear to be going places this year and they won't lose too many games in total, let alone two in a row.

PREDICTION
Brisbane Lions by six points

Follow Paul Johnson's inside view of Sydney Swans v Brisbane Lions at #aflswanslions on Twitter.com from 7.10pm Sunday or @AFL_PaulJohnson#aflswanslions

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.