Brisbane has all but come to terms with the fact that ruckman Oscar McInerney will miss next week's AFL Grand Final against Sydney with a shoulder injury.
McInerney twice dislocated his left shoulder and was in immense pain during the club's victory before being sent to the hospital to assess the damage.
Lions coach Chris Fagan resided to the fact that it would open up an opportunity for either Darcy Fort or Henry Smith to take the "Big O's" place in the decider next week.
Joe Daniher shouldered the ruck duties from the moment McInerney went down and provided a different look for Brisbane around the ball and up forward, which proved to be difficult for the Cats to navigate in the second half.
"Do you reckon (Daniher in the ruck) looked pretty good?" Fagan joked in the post-match press conference.
"I don't know you'll be able to get away with it because (Sydney) will be able to plan against that, so I would've thought we would probably go traditional.
"It'll give someone else an opportunity like Darcy Fort or Henry Smith, and we're lucky our reserves team played up until last week (in the VFL).
"So we've got players ready to come in."
Fort appears to be the frontrunner for the position next week, and his VFL form would suggest that, recording 15.4 disposals, 3.6 marks, 32 hit-outs across the season, whilst averaging eight clearances in the past two months.
However, Fagan has opted to don Smith more in 2024 (four appearances) than the former Cat, who has featured only twice this season.
Physically, Fort would match up better with Sydney's Brodie Grundy, whilst age and experience will also favour the older Lions ruck.
Smith's lack of exposure might make the decision easy for Fagan come Thursday.
But as Daniher showed on Saturday night and throughout the year, when deployed in the ruck, he can prove difficult to deal with given his athleticism and chaotic presence in the midfield.
The injury to McInerney forced the Lions' hand but ultimately allowed them to open up the game and punish Geelong on the rebound.
The smaller forward line of Zac Bailey, Cam Rayner, Callum Ah Chee and Kai Lohmann wreaked havoc for the Cats' defence in the second half, which could be a ploy used against the Swans.
