Brisbane coach Chris Fagan is excited by what Cam Rayner can provide the team, regardless of where that is on the field.
Speaking on Thursday ahead of the Friday night clash against Carlton, Fagan expressed how pleased he was with the "versatile" Rayner's work over the pre-season, putting his hand up for more midfield time.
The former number-one pick has featured across half-forward and half-back in years gone by, with pundits expecting the youngster to make a more permanent move to the midfield.
However, one knock on Rayner's game was his aerobic ability, given he needed to improve it to earn more time in the guts.
"He's a better runner, he's really worked on his running," Fagan said.
"He's got better endurance now although he's not an endurance beast but he's improve that enormously, enough to play good minutes in the midfield which is all that's required.
"And obviously when he goes forward he is very dangerous. His value is his power aroundย the stoppages and the things he can do there, so we're really pleased with how he's developed."
Fagan also believes that Rayner's "underrated" attribute is his ability to play anywhere on the ground, despite the difficulty a role like that entails.
"So he's played half back, he's played forward, he's played key forward, he's played on ball," Fagan continued.
"So he's got a bit of versatility, but yeah I think what we've seen over the preseason is he's playing a bit more midfield time and we'll roll with that.
"But again, he's someone we can move elsewhere. If we lose a tall forward, he can play tall forward. He's a really versatile player and I think he's underrated in that regard.
"He's a great team man and he'll play any role that's required of him."
The Lions will come into the clash with the Blues relatively healthy list, with recruit Tom Doedee and Will Ashcroft being unavailable following ACL injuries in 2023.
Brisbane will host Carlton on Friday night at the Gabba.
