Brisbane coach Michael Voss has stressed round one remains the Lions’ over-riding priority ahead of this weekend’s virtual pre-season cup semi-final against Collingwood.

Victory over the Magpies at Etihad Stadium would almost certainly put unbeaten Brisbane into a rare finals appearance on March 15 but Voss is more concerned about having his side cherry-ripe for their AFL season-opener against the Western Bulldogs.

“The four points are always more important,” he said.

“Our focus is absolutely 100 per cent on making sure we look after that first game.

“There’s a lot of predictions that get made on that Monday after round one (if you lose).

“It’s amazing how it can put everything into a spin again.”

Almost as important for Voss is the fact Brisbane are playing a well-supported “top-four side” at the venue they meet the Bulldogs on March 30.

Etihad has been a hoodoo venue for the Lions, who finished with 10 wins and 12 losses last year, and they must turnaround their results at Docklands to be a genuine top-eight contender.

“When you lift your eyes to three or four weeks time then it’s pretty important we perform well there,” he said.

A win could also give them hosting rights for the NAB Cup final, saving the Lions another taxing trip to Melbourne.

NAB Cup ladder leaders Carlton would virtually guarantee themselves hosting rights if they beat Adelaide away on Friday night while North Melbourne and Geelong, who meet on Saturday, are also in contention for the pre-season decider.

Voss will bring back co-captain Jonathan Brown for his first match of 2013 in a strong line-up to face Collingwood, who also continued their unbeaten pre-season record with an away win over West Coast on Sunday night.

But fellow Lions veteran Simon Black is now rated only an outside chance at best to play in round one after failing to return to training in his recovery from knee surgery.