The three-time Club Champion underwent groin surgery in October last year, but has since recommenced running post-Christmas and looks set to be fit and firing by the time the Lions meet Fremantle at the Gabba for their 2011 season opener on Saturday 26 March.
Brown’s trimmer body can be attributed to a specific program designed by Physical Performance Manager Brett Burton to make him more resilient throughout the AFL season.
“I’ve certainly trimmed down and lost a few kilos,” Brown said.
“I obviously had an operation during the off-season, but the body’s going pretty well now.”
“I only really started getting back into some running after Christmas, but so far the operation has been successful.”
“I’ll certainly have a limited role in the pre-season - if any - but I’ll be aiming to be there for Round 1, that’s for sure.”
Brown also mentioned that every club would likely have reviewed their training strategies following the new AFL rules which now allow just three interchange players and one substitute, rather than four interchange players.
“It’ll be interesting to see how different sides approach their fitness programs with the new interchange rule coming on board this year,” he said.
“No doubt there will be less rotations this season, so everyone will need to be prepared to last longer in matches.”
The 29 year-old refused to buy into on-field Club predictions, but said that it would be foolish to write the Lions off before the season starts.
“I’ve got high expectations for this group, but I’m not going to sit here and make predictions,” he said.
“We took a big step backwards last year, so we need to constantly focus on the now and not get too far ahead of ourselves.”
“We’ve got a tremendous amount of young talent and really need to keep our senior group injury-free and on the paddock more often.”
"The boys have trained hard during the pre-season, so you can expect to see a really fit and committed group when the season kicks off."
