Lions star Will Ashcroft insists there\u2019s no panic in Brisbane\u2019s camp as the back-to-back premiers bid to kick-start their campaign by beating St Kilda at Marvel Stadium on Saturday.<\/p>\n
The weekend\u2019s clash can\u2019t come soon enough for the Lions, who will resume from a bye after losing their opening two matches of the season to the Western Bulldogs and Sydney Swans.<\/p>\n
It was a depleted Brisbane outfit that lost by 44 points to Sydney less than two weeks ago, with suspended trio Harris Andrews, Zac Bailey and Darcy Gardiner and injured pair Hugh McCluggage and Logan Morris all missing the defeat.<\/p>\n
Of the quintet, co-captain and key defender Andrews is the only certain absentee on Saturday, as he has another two games of his suspension remaining.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re pretty eager to get back out there after the start,\u201d Ashcroft said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t want to be in this position, but it\u2019s not panic stations yet.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone like Harris, you probably need two or three guys to contribute to fill that role, (but) you don\u2019t really have a much of a choice.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s out and that\u2019s what it is, so you need someone else to come in and have the confidence to fill that role.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Lions have also lost rookie Daniel Annable, who made his AFL debut against the Swans, with a shoulder injury set to sideline him for up to four months.<\/p>\n
Midfielder Ashcroft said he needed to lift on his own form.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can definitely improve on the stuff I\u2019ve done so far,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo have that reset has helped me get back to the focuses I need to get to. I probably had a broad mindset coming in (to the season).\u201d<\/p>\n
There is likely to be some added spice to Saturday\u2019s clash, with the Saints having not been afraid in recent times to express their thoughts on the so-called advantages Queensland and NSW have with the draft system and, more specifically, the father-son and academy rules.<\/p>\n
Lions coach Chris Fagan also questioned the significant amount of money St Kilda spent on Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera and Tom De Koning, saying it was a \u201cdanger\u201d to the rest of the competition.<\/p>\n
It led to a response from Saints coach Ross Lyon, who queried Fagan\u2019s \u201cmotivations\u201d.<\/p>\n
Ashcroft, one of three father-son picks in Brisbane\u2019s team, said the banter was \u201cgood for footy\u201d and \u201cpart of the game\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the way it\u2019s trended off the field where there\u2019s a lot more media interest and discussion around that sort of thing and people throw comments around,\u201d the two-time Norm Smith medallist said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s good fun. I quite enjoy it.\u201d<\/p>\n