Brisbane coach Chris Fagan ideally would like Jack Payne to be available for this Saturday's semi-final at ENGIE Stadium, but is confident his side can take down the Giants regardless of who takes the second tall back spot.
Payne was subbed out of the Lions' elimination final defeat of Carlton, going down with what initially looked like a devastating knee injury, cutting yet another September short for Payne.
Luckily the concern is not too serious, with scans confirming no major damage to his knee and training updates suggesting he could be right to this Saturday.
"He'll warm up today and we'll see how far we can get with him," Fagan told reporters on Thursday.
"He did pretty well on Tuesday so we're very optimistic that he'll play, the scan showed minimal damage."
Brisbane back in their system to get the job done regardless of who lines up in the role, with backup Darragh Joyce in-line to play if Payne cannot, especially with pillar Harris Andrews holding the fort as the number one man down back.
"We've got Darragh Joyce waiting in the wings who was playing really well before he went out of the team," Fagan added.
"Don't forget we've got a bloke by the name of Harris Andrews that plays up there as well.
"We're confident that our system will stand up no matter who's there.
"We hope it's Jack, but if it's not Jack, it's Darragh and we're just as happy."
Another grand final run would be a stunning feat for Chris Fagan and the club, who sat 13th on the ladder as late as Round 14, though many would argue the pressure is on the Lions to finally clear the premiership hurdle after more than half a decade in the window.
Their coach, however, will approach the remainder of the season with the freedom of a club who have already defied the odds in season 2024.
"We don't feel like we've got a helluva lot to lose. We came from a long way back to sort of get into finals," Fagan said.
Discussions on the mounting pressure facing Brisbane will rage if they cannot reach the preliminary final weekend with an upset over GWS, regardless of how they view the campaign internally.
