Hugh McCluggage under pressure in Brisbane's round 23 match against Melbourne at The Gabba on August 19, 2022. Picture: AFL Photos

BRISBANE midfielder Hugh McCluggage is not buying the notion Melbourne has all the pressure heading into Friday night's semi-final, saying the Lions are far from done in 2022.

Following their loss to Sydney last Friday night, the popular belief is the Demons will waltz past Brisbane and into a preliminary final after thumping them in two previous encounters this season.

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And while McCluggage concedes Melbourne have "mentally and physically" got the better of Brisbane this year, he's confident they have the tools to cause an upset.

Hugh McCluggage in action in Brisbane's round 23 clash with Melbourne at The Gabba on August 19, 2022. Picture: Getty Images

"I think everyone will be saying there's more pressure on them, but we put a lot of expectation on ourselves, and we've been in three or four finals series where we haven't done what we want to do," he said.

"I think there's pressure on both sides for sure.

"Obviously, we've got to look at Melbourne and look at what they've done to us in the past, but the main thing is we bring our energy, and we bring our pressure … it really is what finals footy is all about."

Harris Andrews is surrounded by Melbourne players in Brisbane's round 23 clash at The Gabba on August 19, 2022. Picture: Getty Images

McCluggage said playing at the MCG held no fears for Brisbane, despite the club's eight-year barren drought at the venue.

Who lines up for the Lions is still a mystery following Tuesday's main training session at the Gabba, with Cam Rayner and Noah Answerth both available following one-match suspensions that kept them out against Richmond.

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Debutant Darcy Wilmot trained with the main squad, as did ruckman Darcy Fort, who is expected to replace concussed Oscar McInerney.

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McCluggage said Brisbane's 58-point loss to Melbourne less than three weeks ago was "obviously disappointing", but a result they had learned from.

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"We're not happy with the way we've performed against Melbourne, they've really beaten us up mentally and physically," he said.

"They definitely outworked us, that's the main thing.

"They worked harder than us, they pressured better than us, they were cleaner than us and I think all over the ground they probably got on top of us.

"We need to change it up this week."