MAKING the finals is still a ridiculous notion for Michael Voss, but the Brisbane Lions coach is expecting a lift for Sunday's must-win match against Port Adelaide with the return of co-captain Jonathan Brown.

Brown missed last weekend's win over Melbourne in Darwin with a hip injury, but Voss said he was "tracking nicely" and the eight-day break between matches would help his chances.

Brent Moloney (calf) and Mitch Golby (quad) are also likely to return, but veteran Simon Black (groin) is almost no chance.

"We'll see how he (Brown) progresses during and week and whether it's worthwhile pushing that bit harder to get him up for this week," Voss said.

He would certainly be available the following week against St Kilda.

The Lions (7-9) have won three matches in succession and are now just two wins behind eighth-placed Port Adelaide.

Voss said while members and supporters might talk about the potential to sneak into the top eight, it simply wasn't discussed around the club.

"We look at what we've got to get better at and what we need to train and that's what we're focused on," he said.

"Anything else outside that is irrelevant."

He said there had been a more upbeat mood around the club in recent weeks, and the young list had gained confidence from winning without Brown, Black and Moloney at the weekend.

Voss was full of praise for Port Adelaide, saying the ability to work both offensively and defensively had earned it respect around the League.

One major concern for the Lions is their terrible first quarters.

Statistically they are the worst in the competition, leading just three of their 16 matches at the first change.

"We've been trying to address it for 10 weeks. It's not something that has just come up on our radar and we're not aware of it. We're fully aware," he said.

"Some of it's concentration, some of it's execution and just being purely ready for the contest.

"I feel like the guys are working hard enough but we need to straighten up a couple of things in that area.

"We're looking forward to it."

Michael Whiting is a reporter for AFL Media. You can follow him on Twitter: @AFL_mikewhiting