Gold Coast have been rocked ahead of Saturday’s AFL derby against Queensland rivals Brisbane with skipper Gary Ablett ruled out with a calf injury.
The Brownlow Medal favourite has been replaced by Jared Brennan, who’ll be playing his first senior game since round nine.
Ablett is believed to have sustained the injury during the week but was still expected to play in the Gabba clash.
He missed Friday’s final training session, but coach Guy McKenna was not concerned at the time.
“Some of them at that age choose to train on the last day or don’t, or save themselves,” McKenna said.
But scans later on Friday revealed the bad news.
Ablett is hoping the setback is only minor tweeting: “hopefully just this week”.
The Suns however, believe Brisbane are foxing over the fitness of their own star, midfielder Simon Black.
Black was ruled out of the match with a groin injury by the Lions on Thursday but McKenna is less than convinced the Brownlow Medallist will not take to the pitch against his team.
The triple premiership player was in the Lions’ line-up in their defeat to Hawthorn in Tasmania last weekend and McKenna said he hadn’t seen too much to suggest the 34-year-old’s injury was serious enough to keep him sidelined.
“If you come off with an ice bag or anything around your hamstring or groin … yeah, there’s a chance you won’t play the following week,” McKenna told reporters.
“When blokes walk off the ground okay? Yeah, there can be training mishaps … you can read into it what you like but we’re going to go in thinking that they’re going to pick their best side.”
Black’s omission was one of five changes to the Lions team to take on the Suns, with key defender Daniel Merrett included in place of Jordan Lisle.
The Suns have also been forced into changes with Karmichael Hunt (calf) joining top players such as Tom Lynch and Charlie Dixon on the sidelines.
Harley Bennell will return from the hamstring injury which has kept him out since round eight, while Luke Russell is also back from a hip injury.
McKenna isn’t convinced his team have earned respect from their “big brothers” despite a shock victory the first time the two teams met in 2011.
The Lions have won every encounter against the Suns since but McKenna feels his improving team are poised to emerge as the state’s top club.
“The first time they played us, they probably didn’t put a lot of time in, thought ‘turn up and we’ll knock over this mob’,” he said.
“They got a surprise and, ever since then, they’ve put in some time and effort like they’ve probably done with every other club.
“If we think we’ve improved, this is one of those games you should go in with some confidence knowing we can beat them.”
Lions youngster Dayne Zorko, who says his snubbing by the Suns before being picked up by Brisbane is a thing of the past, says everyone at his club knows what they want to get out of Saturday’s game.
“We really want to stamp our authority as the number one team in Queensland.”
