THE BRISBANE Lions are hopeful injured leaders Dayne Beams and Tom Rockliff will line up on Saturday night against Adelaide, but are preparing to expose even more youth if they're not.
Beams has missed the past two weeks with a quad injury, while Rockliff dislocated his shoulder in the dying minutes of Saturday's loss to Hawthorn.
Both trained on Tuesday morning, but deputy vice-captain Dayne Zorko said he was unsure whether either would get up to play the competition-leading Crows.
Rockliff is waiting for scan results and is considered unlikely, while captain Beams has run strongly in the past week and is more of a chance.
"Tom did a bit of training today and I don't know what the extent is really," Zorko said.
"Dayne ran around as well.
"It'd be great if both those players could play, but if they can't, we've got young kids that are ready to go."
Already missing Mitch Robinson (foot) and Allen Christensen (shoulder) for lengthy periods, the Lions would be incredibly young against the wounded Crows.
Zorko said second-year midfielder Rhys Mathieson would be a strong chance for inclusion after good NEAFL form, while number three draft pick Hugh McCluggage is also likely to return after being rested against the Hawks.
Despite losing seven matches straight, Zorko said the Lions were upbeat about their chances against Adelaide.
"We're a young, vibrant group," he said.
"We're coming to work to a job we absolutely love.
"Adelaide is a very classy outfit. They're right up there to win the premiership, they're a team to beat."
Zorko said there was more to slowing the Crows down than limiting influential midfielder Rory Sloane, who has been held to just 18 and 11 disposals respectively in Adelaide's past two losses.
"It might help in some areas, but they've got so many ball-winners and so much run everywhere, all over the park, I find it hard to believe that if you stop Sloane you stop Adelaide, because they're so powerful everywhere," he said.