THE MAXIMUM impact Will Ashcroft is having with his disposals under the bright finals lights has been no surprise to his Brisbane teammate Hugh McCluggage.

Ashcroft is just 11 games back after recovering from a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament and was the driving force in the Lions' come-from-behind heist against Greater Western Sydney on Saturday.

He finished with 27 disposals, 10 of them resulting in scores, to back up a superb elimination final performance against Carlton a week earlier.

On that occasion, Ashcroft had 20 disposals that included nine score involvements.

Speaking ahead of Tuesday morning's open training session at Brighton Homes Arena, McCluggage said Ashcroft's freedom of mind had helped him impact in big moments.

"He worked as hard as anyone through that time when he was in rehab, and it's not just the physical side of the game, the mental side as well," McCluggage said.

"In a final when people can tighten up. 

"As an older player, you can probably be thinking a little bit about the result and what's on the line. He just played with freedom, and you can see that. 

"He's so strong, he willed himself onto the contest in that second half. 

"We're pretty glad we've got him in our side, that's for sure."

Ashcroft has become an integral member of Brisbane's midfield rotation alongside co-captain Lachie Neale, Josh Dunkley and McCluggage.

Although he rarely starts quarters in the centre square, Ashcroft gets plenty of looks on-ball.

It was the defensive efforts and work around the contest that had earned Ashcroft the trust of his teammates, McCluggage said.

"It's not necessarily the amount of touches he's been having … but probably half of them led to a score, and the rest were really clean," he said.

"We've worked really hard with 'Ashy' on his voice out there and communication and defence as well, and all of that stuff's lifting, and it's no surprise he's having a good offensive impact."

Ashcroft was one of many players to train lightly in front of thousands of fans at Brighton Homes Arena on Tuesday.

Lachie Neale, who has been nursing a foot problem for two months, did very little, as did Eric Hipwood and Jack Payne.

The 45-minute session was little more than a "kick and catch" as one Lions official described, as the team tried to overcome the high of beating the Giants and begin preparations for Saturday's preliminary final against Geelong.

"It can take a day or two for that adrenaline to leave your system and stop thinking about that game," McCluggage said.

"It's up to everyone individually to do the work they need to mentally to get themselves in the frame of mind to train today and move on to Geelong."