The Brisbane Lions were left without any valuable match practice this weekend after the Club's scheduled clash with Geelong at Visy Park on Saturday was cancelled due to extreme weather conditions.

It seemed perfect football conditions when the Lions arrived at the Carlton venue before a fierce storm arrived only 10 minutes prior to the start of the game. 

Visy Park was engulfed in darkness and at around 2:45pm before being hit by one of the heaviest storms Melbourne has experienced in years.

The unrelenting rain, hail and threat of lightning postponed the start of the match by 10 minutes.

The Lions and Geelong took to the field 15 minutes later in the hope of completing a shortened match of two 30 minute halves much to the delight of the drenched fans in the crowd. But their pre-game warm-up lasted only five minutes until further thunder and lightning saw both teams forced back into their changerooms. 

After discussions between both sides and the AFL, the match was deemed unsafe for the players and subsequently abandoned.

It was a particularly cruel blow for the Lions who had initially been planning to play the match at Southport in Queensland before constant rain forced the venue change during the week.

The cancellation was obviously disappointing for both clubs, but Senior Coach Michael Voss was determined not to let it disrupt his team's preparations.

"It was inconvenient and what we now need to do is see what we can get out of it," Voss said.

"Next week against Hawthorn is now critical and we have to look and see whether we can get an opponent for the following week or have an intra-club match so we can get the minutes into the players.

"The guys needed a freshen up this week so as it now stands, they really did get a freshen up. But everything we do now has to be spot on. The urgency goes up for us."

Voss said he expects to get special dispensation to play the week before the season, usually a mandated weekend off for players and coaches.

"It's fair to say we would be enormously stiff if we were denied that opportunity," he said.

"It would compromise quite severely our preparation for the season, because it's getting to the pointy end right now.

"I'd be staggered if we didn't get it particularly after this game was supposed to be in Queensland."

Lions fans should keep posted to the Club website for further details on the potential 'make-up' matches which may be scheduled in the final week before the regular season commences.

However, local Lions members and supporters will still have the opportunity to see their team live at Southport this Friday when they face 2008 premiers Hawthorn at 3:30pm.