Brisbane Lions to field their best team for JLT Series

Brisbane has its gaze firmly on Round 1 and will use all their available players in Saturday’s scratch match with Gold Coast and pick its best sides throughout the JLT Community Series.

Brisbane coach Chris Fagan.

Brisbane has its gaze firmly on Round 1 and will use all their available players in Saturday’s scratch match with Gold Coast and pick its best sides throughout the JLT Community Series.

The two sides will play each other over six 20-minute terms with unlimited bench sizes and interchanges.

While Gold Coast have opted to rest three team leaders in David Swallow, Touk Miller and Jarrod Witts there will be no fit Lions watching from the sidelines.

Lions coach Chris Fagan has continued his habit of using pre-season fixtures to develop his assistants by handing the reins to Jed Adcock.

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Adcock said Brisbane’s focus was squarely on the Round 1 clash with premiers West Coast at the Gabba and they had given no consideration to resting players.

“We are all about prepping for Round 1, setting ourselves up for that and trying to get who we think is pushing for that side up and going,’’ he said.

“We haven’t looked at what Gold Coast are doing.

“All we are trying to do now is put in practice what we have been working on all pre-season.’’

Brisbane coach Chris Fagan won’t be resting players during the JLT Series. Picture: Luke Bowden

The former Lions captain set up the week’s training, took Friday’s team meeting and will run the show on Saturday.

“Fages is big on trying to develop the coaches which is great for us,’’ he said.

“The players get a fair bit of development and we are all trying to improve our skills also so it is great that he gives us these opportunities to be exposed to all the elements senior coaches have to be across.’’

It puts him in the position of being the first member of the coaching panel to guide the side against an AFL opponent under the league’s new rules and he admits to being unsure what to expect but also keenly interested to see how rivals adapt to the changes.

Most experts assume the kick-in rule and set starting positions will have the biggest impact.

“With the kick-in rule, will teams try to keep zones and presses or do they go man on man and for the side in possession, do you try to kick through it or do you go long?’’ Adcock said.

“The centre square clearance is so important now, not often in modern footy are you kicking into an even numbers scenario, but there will be opportunities for that now.

“They are the two rules that will take a bit of finding out what will happen and how clubs will react, and we probably don’t know for sure which way we will go with it yet either.

“I think this is the good thing about this practice match and the JLT Series.’’