Brisbane star Hugh McCluggage has admitted that a string of injury concerns led to a "tough" week of training, compounded by concerns for concussed teammate Brandon Starcevich.
Starcevich suffered his third concussion in eight months, as well as his second in just a few weeks, in the grand final rematch on Saturday against Sydney.
The 25-year-old was visibly distressed following a head knock by Swans forward Justin McInerney, leaving Starcevich dazed on the field.
The premiership Lion was ruled out of the remainder of the final quarter, adding on to the injury of Kai Lohmann's ankle.
It was Starcevich's second concussion in a three-week span, after being pushed into the oncoming traffic after a nudge from utility Dan Curtin in a marking contest during Adelaide and Brisbane's Community Series clash.
Starcevich was set to miss Opening Round before Cyclone Alfred caused the game to be rescheduled, although now Starcevich will be in concussion protocols for at least Round 2 against the Eagles.
Before the Lions' Round 1 affair, Lincoln McCarthy suffered his second ACL rupture in as many seasons, while Sam Day missed the Swans encounter due to the sad passing of his father.
McCluggage, who has suffered concussions himself, said receiving multiple concussions in a short period was "concerning" for his out-of-contract teammate.
"It definitely is (tough to see). I've had a few concussions myself, and I know that it can be quite concerning when you're in that situation and you're not really sure how you're going to recover," McCluggage said.
"'Starce' has a great medical team around him, and I'm sure they'll be doing everything they can to make sure that his health and wellbeing is a priority.
"He has enough time off, and we'll see how he goes from there.
"There's concern with every concussion, whether it's one, whether it's two, whether it's more than that. The more you have, the more the level of concern, I suppose, because you never like to see them start stacking up.
"But as I said before, he recovered well from his last one. I dropped him home from the airport, and he was in he was in good spirits. He seemed like he was okay.
"I haven't actually seen him since then, but fingers crossed he'll be able to improve and get himself right."
Four AFL players medically retired due to the impacts of concussion in 2024, including premiership Demon Angus Brayshaw and premiership Magpie Nathan Murphy.
Should Starcevich quickly overcome his concussion concerns, he'll be out of the 12-day concussion protocols in time for Brisbane's enticing Round 3 clash against Geelong.
