CHRIS Fagan says Brisbane is out to prove last year's semi-final win over Melbourne was no fluke when it faces the Demons at the Gabba on Friday night.

But the Lions coach says talk is cheap, and only actions matter following the round one hiding they copped from Port Adelaide last Saturday.

After being thrashed by Melbourne twice in last season's home and away matches, Brisbane got its revenge with an upset 13-point triumph at the MCG in September.

However, speaking on Thursday ahead of the blockbuster, Fagan said that result meant little now.

"I'm of the view that you don't really get inside an opposition team's head until you beat them more than once," he said.

"There's probably a lot of people in the footy world that maybe think that win was a bit of a fluke last year, so we're out to prove that we are actually a pretty good football side, and more than anything else we just want to respond to last week.

"Who we play tomorrow night, to a degree, is irrelevant."

Fagan said by midway through Monday he had moved on from the loss against Port.

He said the match showed that if they didn't turn up with the right amount of effort, they were just an ordinary team.

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Former skipper Dayne Zorko is one likely change, an almost certain inclusion after being cleared to play following a hamstring tendon injury that has kept him out of competitive matches so far.

"It's no good me standing here telling you what I hope I'm going to see," Fagan said.

"It's better off them to go and do it and we'll talk about it later.

"In some ways you're looking to the group to respond this week, because they always have."

The match will be the first time the teams have squared off at the Gabba since round 23 last year, when tension boiled over between the teams in an incident involving Zorko and Harrison Petty.

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Fagan said there was no "grudge" between the teams and everyone had moved on.

"It's a game of football we have to win," he said.

"I don't care who we play tomorrow night. Those things are irrelevant to me and always will be as long as I'm coach.

"There's no grudge match. That's for you guys to get all hyped about, I don't."