MICHAEL Voss will cut his coaching teeth at the same ground where he played his first senior match, and the symmetry is not lost on the new Brisbane Lions mentor.

He just hopes his coaching debut in Saturday night's NAB Cup clash with St Kilda is far cleaner than his first practice game as a teenaged Brisbane Bear.

"The first practice match I played was here at Carrara and now the first game at coach is Carrara. Who would have figured some 17 years apart?" Voss said on Wednesday.

"But hopefully it won't be the same sort of outcome. It was an all-in brawl in my first intra-club.

"Peter Worsfold smacked (teammate) Matty Rendell in the gob at a stoppage. Things have changed a little bit now."

But Voss would rather his men take the same safety-first approach on Saturday night that he did as a Bears rookie.

"I grabbed the bloke beside me, who was 17 as well, and said, 'Let's pretend we're wrestling'.

"I stayed away from it. Matty Rendell was six-foot-a-thousand so you stay away from those guys.

"I hope the Saints aren't planning anything."

Quick to assure the visitors weren't about to upset the apple cart in Voss' first match since replacing the triple premiership-winning Leigh Matthews, St Kilda coach Ross Lyon said: "No, the Saints are angels."

Voss will take a typically young team into Saturday night's game at Gold Coast Stadium, resting captain Jonathan Brown, full-forward Daniel Bradshaw and full-back Daniel Merrett.

With midfield leader Simon Black (broken hand) also sidelined, there could be the chance for first-round draftee Daniel Rich and other youngsters to shine.

"That will be good for us because we've relied on those sorts of players for a long time so it will be good to see how the others step up," Voss said.

"It will be serious like any other game. I think we're like the Saints, we have to learn how to compete and we have to learn how to win."

Fifty per cent of the proceeds from the game will be donated to Victoria's bushfire victims, with the gesture expected to raise more than $70,000.

Brisbane Lions chief executive Michael Bowers said the club welcomed the opportunity to be involved.

"The fires are clearly a national tragedy and we are pleased to be able work as part of the AFL industry to do whatever we can to help," he said.

Counterpart Archie Fraser added that St Kilda was equally committed to the cause.

"This is a time when every contribution, regardless of the size will help the people affected by the tragic events of the past week," he said.