Brisbane's Jack Payne is awaiting scan results to determine his finals fate as his captain puts faith in two relative novices to cover any defensive vacancy. Payne was substituted out of the Lions' 28-point elimination final win against Carlton because of an injury to his left knee. Lions co-captain Harris Andrews says he won't speculate on the extent of Payne's injury ahead of the club receiving results from Monday scans.
But Andrews is backing either Darragh Joyce or nine-gamer Shadeau Brain to fill the void should Payne be ruled out of Saturday night's semi-final against GWS. "(Payne) is obviously very important, he is a big part of what we do down there," Andrews told reporters on Monday. "His ability just to compete hard and buy into our system down there is sensational.
"At the same time though we have worked without him this year ...
so guys like Darragh Joyce and Shadeau Brain have had to come in and play roles. "And that's the beauty of the backline a little bit, you play a system within a system, and I feel like those guys have done a great job throughout the year. "If he (Payne) is right, it would be fantastic.
If he's not, I am confident that the guy coming in will get the job done." Joyce, who has played six games this season for a career total of 24 since his 2018 debut at St Kilda, flourished in VFL ranks last Saturday, collecting 12 marks in a semi-final victory. The Lions meet GWS in a knockout final at the Giants' home ground, where Brisbane haven't played s.