Brisbane Lions Daniel Merrett and Daniel Rich set to miss Q Clash through suspension

THE Brisbane Lions are set to face Gold Coast without Daniel Merrett and Daniel Rich after both were offered suspensions.

THE Brisbane Lions are set to face Gold Coast on Saturday night without Daniel Merrett and Daniel Rich after both were offered suspensions by the match review panel.

Merrett can accept a one-match ban for charging after he crashed into Saints captain Nick Riewoldt in a marking contest in the first half of the gritty arm-wrestle at the Gabba.

Riewoldt left the field to receive some medical attention but quickly returned and kicked two goals in the final quarter after being well held all game by Lions defender Joel Patfull.

Rich faces two weeks out after being charged with rough conduct for slinging St Kilda tagger Clinton Jones into the Gabba fence.

Brisbane general manager of football operations Dean Warren said the club would eagerly await the match review panel's findings today.

"(Merrett's contact) was a fraction late and the ball dropped a bit earlier than 'Rodge' anticipated so I think it will definitely be looked at," Warren said yesterday.

"We just have to wait and see what they come back with and deal with it from there."

See all the match review panel findings here

The biggest blow was the final result for Brisbane which has a win-loss record of 6-9 with seven matches remaining in the home-and-away season.

While the Lions are a very much a mathematical hope of playing finals, they have lost significant ground to the Saints, North Melbourne and Fremantle who advanced to 8-7 records with wins on the weekend to lead the charge for the hotly-contested eighth spot on the ladder.

Lions ruckman Ben Hudson said it was a "pretty devastating loss" for the home side which led by 10 points at halftime, only to see the Saints storm home in the final quarter when their big guns finally fired.

"We were in it for most of the game but the little things just let us down," Hudson said.

Victory over the Suns is essential for Brisbane to have any hope of staying in the hunt for the finals and they will closely monitor the fitness of veteran Simon Black, who suffered a cork above his knee early in the contest.

Black played on to accumulate 31 touches in a typically classy display in his match-up with fellow Rolls Royce midfielder Lenny Hayes, who had 29 disposals.

"Blacky looked a bit sore during the game so we'll see how he pulls up. There's going to be a few sore bodies after a game like that, no doubt but we'll just keep an eye on him," Warren said.

"He got hit on or above his knee but he played out the game so hopefully he should be fine."