REGARDLESS of the outcome against Geelong on Saturday, Jonathan Brown says his young Brisbane Lions should gain plenty from the "mini finals" experience.
Following Essendon's demotion to ninth place, the Lions have catapulted into the frame for an unlikely finals appearance.
They must somehow conjure a win against Geelong at Simonds Stadium and then hope Port Adelaide can defeat Carlton later in the afternoon at AAMI Stadium.
They would then remarkably finish in eighth spot and play finals just two weeks after coach Michael Voss was sacked.
Brown will have to watch his team from the sidelines as the co-captain recovers from surgeries to both his plantar fascia and knee.
He said knowing there was a chance of a finals spot with a victory over the Cats would be a great experience for his young team.
"It's good for the development of our group going forward," Brown said.
"It's unexpected and it's going to be a tough ask going to Geelong. It's good preparation, whether we come through or not, I think it'll stand us in good stead going forward.
"Hopefully we'll be factoring in the finals a lot more over the next few years."
The Lions are missing Brown and Daniel Merrett (ankle) already and are likely to be without veteran midfielders Simon Black (groin) and Brent Moloney (hamstring).
Black did some running on a separate field to the main group at Wednesday's training session, while Moloney ran with more intensity but must still be a question mark after missing the past two matches.
Third-year small forward Josh Green said the players could now feel the sniff of finals.
He said the remarkable round 13 comeback win over Geelong at the Gabba – where Ash McGrath booted a goal after the siren to complete the overhaul of a 52-point deficit – would give the Lions confidence.
"I think they've lost twice in the last 50 times (at home) so it's going to be hard," Green said.
"We've taken a lot out of it, knowing we can beat them, but we have to start better and not let it get out to 50 points.
"If you're not excited about the opportunity to play finals, there's something wrong with you."
