BRISBANE Lions vice-captain Daniel Merrett has denied his side will be underdone for its season opener against West Coast at the Gabba on Saturday night despite being one of three key players kept in cotton wool.
Full-back Merrett played down any fears the Lions would struggle for cohesion with ruckman Jamie Charman and star midfielder Simon Black also set for selection.
Merrett (quad) and Charman (knee) gained special clearance to make a low-key comeback in the AFLQ state league on the weekend while Black (broken wrist, back and ankle surgery) hasn't played a minute of pre-season football.
Black and other teammates were also grounded by gastroenteritis last week, however, it appears new coach Michael Voss will name him with Charman and Merrett on Thursday.
Merrett believed the Lions would be at full strength and shouldn't suffer any rustiness.
"I think all our main players should be there, and we should have a full list to pick from, so I don't think it should be an issue," he said before training on Wednesday.
"With Blacky and Charmo a lot of leadership comes back and a lot of experience so it will only better the team.
"The guys have been together for a few years now and we've all played together for a while so [a lack of cohesion] shouldn't be a problem."
The Lions go into the match as the shortest favourite ($1.25) of the weekend but are wary of West Coast.
The Eagles, who beat them in the corresponding season-opener last year in Perth, traditionally win their first-up games and have a fine record in Brisbane.
Despite Voss taking over from Leigh Matthews, the biggest question mark the Lions face is their ability to grind out close wins after suffering four final-quarter meltdowns in 2008 which ultimately cost them a finals berth.
Merrett said they have addressed the problem and indicated they would play more conservatively late in games with a focus on maintaining possession.
"What we needed to improve on was our skills and we've done that," he said.
"The size of the bodies in the team has improved so we are a lot stronger team.
"And a couple of those late games we lost which could have got us into the finals last year, we've put plans into place to fix that."
Forging a strong defensive department with Josh Drummond, Joel Patfull, Joel Macdonald and Jason Roe, Merrett was confident his backline would continue to improve in 2009.
"We have got a pretty good platform there," he said. "We've got four or five guys that should play all year and hopefully we play together and build a real bond together."
Dream Team watch – Simon Black is rated a $398,700 midfielder in Toyota AFL Dream Team 2009
Jamie Charman is rated a $278,300 ruckman in Toyota AFL Dream Team 2009
Daniel Merrett is rated a $169,800 defender in Toyota AFL Dream Team 2009
