BRISBANE Lions coach Michael Voss believes Port Adelaide could use strong-arm tactics in their Gabba clash on Saturday night, but says his team will have eyes only for the footy.

The Lions and Port Adelaide have built one of the competition's stronger rivalries over the past decade and tensions flared when they met in round 14.

Jared Brennan was suspended for two games for head-butting Power tagger Josh Carr, while Port Adelaide's Troy Chaplin also went into the book for charging teenager Daniel Rich.

While Carr will miss this game with an ankle injury, Voss said he would not be surprised if Port Adelaide tried to flex its muscle and target a few Lions players in the do-or-die contest.

"Probably, but that's something that's part of their plan. If they want to do that, then that's fine," he said.

"Again, I wouldn’t expect it to be any different. They've done it before. I always just plan for their best and if we get pleasantly surprised that they're not, well then that's a good thing too."

However, Voss said after the week's hype, which included media commentator Robert Walls' questioning of Power ruckman Dean Brogan's tactics against younger opponents, the encounter could prove just an ordinary game.

"I get told a lot about a lot of great movies and then when I go sometimes I'm disappointed, so I don't want to talk it (physical clashes) up too much because you never know what's going to happen," he said.

"The game works itself out generally over a period of time. Depending on what happens during the game will determine the physical and emotional energy that both sides bring.

"We expect [Port] to be able to put up a genuine fight. They've got backs to the wall and whenever they've had that during the year they've tended to respond, so that’s all we can ever expect."

Whatever happens, Voss says his players' focus has to be the football.

He admitted the Power took greater intensity into their 48-point win at AAMI Stadium seven weeks ago.

"You've still got to be able to have the attack on the ball, better than the opposition," he said. "You've still got to be able to put your head over the footy, you've still got to be able to tackle really, really hard. They're our benchmarks that we're trying to set for ourselves.

"We don't really want to be involved in too many other byplays because to hurt the opposition you've got to do it with your attack on the footy.

"That's where our intent lies every single week, so I'd hope that's where our intention lies [again]."