Brisbane is set to welcome back co-captains Harris Andrews and Hugh McCluggage for Saturday\u2019s Gather Round clash against North Melbourne, but Lions defender Noah Answerth will miss another game with concussion.<\/p>\n
Star pair Andrews and McCluggage haven\u2019t played since Brisbane\u2019s Opening Round loss to the Western Bulldogs due to suspension and a calf injury respectively.<\/p>\n
Answerth missed the Lions\u2019 win last Thursday over Collingwood after copping an accidental blow to the head in Brisbane\u2019s victory over St Kilda last month.<\/p>\n
\u201cNoah hasn\u2019t really trained fully yet, so I\u2019m not expecting that he\u2019s going to be OK,\u201d Lions coach Chris Fagan said on Thursday.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a big hit that he took in that game, so we\u2019ll be very cautious with him. The welfare of the player comes first.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fagan also said no risks would be taken with McCluggage if there was a hint of doubt about the All-Australian\u2019s calf.<\/p>\n
However, the Lions mentor was confident the 28-year-old midfielder would play at Barossa Park on Saturday.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got to get through training, so there\u2019s always that proviso, but he trained fully on Tuesday, so the expectation is that he will play,\u201d said Fagan, who added that McCluggage and Andrews would hopefully have an \u201cinfluence\u201d this weekend.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt means a lot from a team perspective, because they\u2019re great communicators out on the field, and great organisers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019ll help with that side of the game, which is always really important, and they just know what to do in any given circumstance.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou just feel a little bit better with them out there.\u201d<\/p>\n
The back-to-back premiers won\u2019t take the \u201cimproving\u201d Kangaroos lightly, particularly after Brisbane was held to a draw by North Melbourne in Hobart last year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had a good lesson … we should have lost that game,\u201d Fagan said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey played far better than us. I have a lot of respect for them, and what they\u2019re doing. You can see they\u2019re improving as a footy club.\u201d<\/p>\n
Under the guidance Fagan\u2019s close friend Alastair Clarkson, the Kangaroos are sitting above Brisbane on the ladder with three wins from four games this season.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re a tough, hard unit. They make you earn every kick, and I don\u2019t expect that to be any different this weekend.,\u201d Fagan said.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir confidence is up, so we\u2019re going to have to play well.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Lions are chasing a third successive win, having recovered from losing their opening two games of the season.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter how good a team you are, and what you\u2019ve achieved in the past, you doubt yourself a little bit until you get that first win on the board, and you wonder if you\u2019ve still got it or not,\u201d Fagan said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou just can\u2019t ever assume, You start again every time you play. It\u2019s back to zero.\u201d<\/p>\n