Black was given the green light to return after a frustrating past two months that has included a broken hand and a gastro problem that kept him out of the round-one victory over the West Coast.
Meanwhile Proud has also cracked it for his first game of the season as the pair come in at the expense of Scott Harding and Tom Collier, who have both been omitted.
Black said taking on Carlton and its much-hyped midfield would be a big challenge for the Lions, but was confident they had plenty of ammunition to fire themselves.
``Luke (Power) and Travis (Johnstone) were terrific for us last week and I really thought they led the way,’’ he said.
‘’It might take me four or five games to get back to full match fitness, but I’m just looking forward to getting back out there and having a run again.’’
Carlton will go into the match with the same line-up that thrashed Richmond by 83 points in round one.
Brisbane Lions
B: Ashley McGrath, Daniel Merrett, Joel Patfull
HB: Luke Power, Joel Macdonald, Josh Drummond
C: Bradd Dalziell, Simon Black, Daniel Rich
HF: Michael Rischitelli, Jonathan Brown, Justin Sherman
F: Travis Johnstone, Daniel Bradshaw, Mitch Clark
Foll: Matthew Leuenberger, Albert Proud, Jed Adcock
Int: Rhan Hooper, Cheynee Stiller, Jamie Charman, Troy Sellwood
Carlton
B: Aaron Joseph, Michael Jamison, Chris Johnson
HB: Paul Bower, Bret Thornton, Bryce Gibbs
C: Kade Simpson, Marc Murphy, Heath Scotland
HF: Ryan Houlihan, Jarrad Waite, Mitch Robinson
F: Cameron Cloke, Brendan Fevola, Eddie Betts
Foll: Matthew Kruezer, Richard Hadley, Chris Judd
Int: Jeff Garlett, Sam Jacobs, Jordan Russell, Simon Wiggins
On the punt
Brisbane Lions fans should be licking their lips with the odds the TAB have dished up for this match. Despite the Lions’ good recent record against the Blues they have been installed as $3.15 underdogs (in from the longer price of $3.45). Carlton has often struggled to contain the Brown and Bradshaw combination up front, and with last season’s round-21 destroyer Nick Stevens not playing, the visitors have more than a fair chance of causing an upset.
For those looking to wager their money elsewhere, Jonathan Brown’s price of $3.30 to be the leading goal kicker in the match also has appeal. The Lions captain has booted 20 goals in the past three encounters between the teams.
Key match-up
Matthew Leuenberger (Lions) v Matthew Kreuzer (Blues): Two of the best young ruckmen in the country will get a chance to go head-to-head on Saturday night. With Jamie Charman’s delayed start to the season, a bigger and stronger Leuenberger has shown he is ready to take up the slack. With both midfields stacked with talent, getting first use of the ball will be crucial, and thus the winner of this duel will go a long way to deciding who wins the contest. Also keep on eye on Michael Rischitelli playing a defensive role on the skilful Bryce Gibbs across the Lions half-forward line.
Odds and sods
Carlton has always had its hands full stopping the Lions twin towers of Daniel Bradshaw and Jonathan Brown. Brown has kicked 20 off his own boot in the last three matches, while the pair combined for 10 majors in the round 21 loss of 2008.
The Lions' streak of eight successive wins against the Blues was broken in round 21 last year. The run of matches dated back to 2001 and included the club’s second-biggest victory in its merged history – a 117-point hiding at the Gabba in 2007.
It may only be one round into the season, but Lions players top four statistical categories. Travis Johnstone (possessions), Luke Power (clearances and contested possessions) and Daniel Merrett (One Percenters) are all on top of the AFL at this early stage.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club
