Brown will see Dr Alistair Reid on Thursday hoping to be cleared for his first game since the opening round, where the 29-year-old suffered multiple facial fractures in an accidental collision with Fremantle’s Luke McPharlin.
The skipper said he still had one box to tick, but was itching to help the Lions snap its 0-7 start to the season.
“It’s up to the surgeon,” he said.
“If I walk in there and he’s not happy with things, I’ll have to wait. [There's] not a hell of a lot I can do really except jump in the boxing ring and take a few punches on the end of the chin to convince him, but I’m not sure if we’re going to do that. Maybe I’ve got to eat a steak.”
Brown had eight breaks around his cheekbone, jaw and eye socket that required titanium plates as part of the reconstructive surgery.
He spent the first two weeks of his recovery laid up in bed, and after being restricted to a diet of soup for six weeks, lost 5kg from his 104kg frame.
Brown quickly resumed weights and has been in full running training the past month, and began contact work last week.
He said most of the weight was now back on and he had full confidence in his conditioning.
“My strength is quite good and the positive out of it is my fitness didn’t really wane at all because I was able to go back into training,” he said.
“The biggest advantage I’ve got over most other players is that I’ve got freshness on my side. They’ve got eight or nine games into the season, their bodies are starting to tire. You’re never quite sure about your touch, but if you can grab a couple (of marks) early, that does wonders for your confidence.”
The three-time premiership player said sitting in the grandstand and watching the losses stack up had been frustrating.
“I’ve felt a bit like I’ve been suspended to be honest," he said.
"I’ve been out there doing most of the training with the boys, but come the weekend I’ve had to sit on the sidelines.
“Seeing your mates going through what they’re going through, I just can’t wait to rip in and help out.”
Brown said there was no mental scars from the incident, and had a sense of humour when asked whether he thought North Melbourne might target him at the Gabba.
“They’ll play the game as normal. I’ve been asked if they’ll target me, so I’m not sure what they’ll do. I’ve got plenty of metal in my face so they might have a sore fist by the end of it if they try and whack me,” he said.
“I feel good about going back out there and I’ve felt good about being in training drills with the boys. I think when the game starts, training starts, you forget about things. Hopefully I’ll go out there and play the footy I’ve always played in the past.
“We have to realise, touch wood, that these incidents are very rare in our game, and, touch wood, it doesn’t happen to me twice in a row.”
