VETERAN midfielder Nigel Lappin says every Brisbane Lion - young and old - would have learned something from last weekend's 41-point loss to Adelaide at the Gabba.

Co-captain Lappin and the Lions will aim to turn things around against Essendon at Telstra Dome on Saturday afternoon and the 30-year-old believes a return to basic team principles will be a key.

"I think the Adelaide game was educational for all of us," Lappin told lions.com.au.

"We just fell away from our structures for a number of reasons and those lapses meant parts of our game weren't up to the level we expect.

"A couple of the Adelaide players got a bit more ball than we would have liked them to and they are such a well-drilled and disciplined side that, when that happens, they can really get on top of you.

"We didn't play particularly badly. In each of the three games we've lost this year, we've had a chance and I think that shows that when we play our best footy, we'll be more than competitive."

The Crows match marked back-to-back senior outings for Lappin for the first time in 21 months. His 2005 season ended when he broke a leg and dislocated an ankle against Sydney in Round 20 and his 2006 campaign finished before it began, courtesy of another ankle injury, this time in a pre-season game at Carrara.

Lappin started this season in promising fashion against Hawthorn, but was then sidelined for four frustrating weeks courtesy of a cork from a stray leg from Hawk Luke Hodge.

"It was frustrating - partly because it was the sort of knock that your body can normally take. With me having missed so much footy, my body wasn't able to," Lappin said of his most recent injury.

"But (the four weeks out) was my fault as well. Because I'd been out for the whole of last year, I overdid things trying to get back when it would have been better just to resign myself to missing one week. But hindsight is a wonderful thing."

There is a public perception that Lappin has become more vocal since being appointed to the captaincy group over the summer alongside Jonathan Brown, Simon Black, Luke Power and Chris Johnson.

The 260-gamer concedes he is more inclined to speak up these days. But it's more about who isn't there any more than any new responsibilities he might have been given.

"If something needs to be said, I'll say it - where as in the past I might not have," Lappin explained.

"It's not that I felt uncomfortable about it before, it's just that we always had Vossy and he was such a good leader that he said pretty much everything that needed to be said. And if you go back five years ago, there were players like Lynchy (Alastair Lynch) around the place.

"With those guys gone, I think everyone has had to step up a rung with their leadership."

Unlike teammate Chris Johnson, who declared three weeks ago that he would like to play on for another two years, Lappin isn't yet sure where his future lies. The desire to continue is there, but with so much bad luck with injury, he's content to take a wait-and-see approach.

"Johnno hasn't missed a hell of a lot of footy over the years and I reckon he'd play on until he was 50 if they'd let him," Lappin laughed.

"As for me, I'll see how I'm going in another five weeks time and look at make a decision then. I've pulled up a bit sore the last couple of games and I wouldn't wanting to be pulling up like that in five or six weeks time.

"But I'm pretty sure that I won't be. I was better after last week (Adelaide) than I was the week before (against Fremantle)."