The Brisbane-Geelong rescheduled Opening Round fixture could fall under trying conditions on Saturday as rains of up to 60mm are expected.
The postponed contest - due to Tropical Cyclone Alfred that swept through Queensland and northern New South Wales - was taken from the opening match of the 2025 campaign fortuitously to Round 3, when both the Lions and Cats have the first byes.
But the rescheduled fixture isn't tipped to have perfect weather, which has become a point of contention in the first few weeks of the season.
As it stands, Saturday has a "very high chance of showers" according to BOM, as well as rainfall ranging from 8-60mm.
With horrible conditions predicted to hit South East Queensland this weekend, it is starting to feel like we have seen this story before.
In last year's corresponding fixture, the Cats and Lions were subject to a wet weather scrap, as the tropical climate didn't let up throughout the entirety of the match.
Brisbane kicked four goals and 13 behinds, going down by 26 points in Round 6.
It comes as, in Round 2, Brisbane and West Coast players were subject to extreme heats at the Gabba, where players were provided ice jackets and cold-drenched towels to combat the warmth.
Sunday's game was scheduled at 12.10 pm (local time), which has been brought into investigation by the AFLPA.
"It was pretty extreme. Just that time of day in Queensland in general, it's probably not great to put a game on at 12 o'clock (12.10 pm local time) in the middle of the day in Queensland in March," Lions midfielder Lachie Neale said on Tuesday.
"In a couple of months that'll be fine, but just early on in the season, I'd probably change the time for that game. Even just two or three hours later would have been better.
"I've spoken to both clubs' CEOs today and they both felt it was unfair almost."
Damian Barrett on Brisbane and West Coast's concerns about being made to play in scorching conditions at the weekend.#9FootyClassified | Watch on Nine & 9Now 📺 pic.twitter.com/nGW1v71p7D
— Footy on Nine (@FootyonNine) March 24, 2025
"I probably lost a few extra grams but nothing crazy. The dietitian does a great job in refuelling us straight after a game.
"It was probably more just during the game, it was pretty extreme, the humidity. Once the sun came out as well, the water started to come out of the ground."
Brisbane coach Chris Fagan shared the same sentiment as the two-time Brownlow medallist, expressing his concern for the players in his post-match address.
"It's a bit unusual to be playing a game at midday in Brisbane," Fagan said.
"It's always going to be hot early in the year. I don't know the reasoning behind it, but I think it's pretty tough on players to expect them to be playing in the middle of the day like that."
Geelong was also at the mercy of extreme conditions in Round 1, when they hosted Fremantle at GMHBA Stadium, when the temperature neared the 40s.
