SINCE the beginning of 2023, two Brisbane players have laced the boots up for every one of the club's 106 games.

Cam Rayner and Darcy Wilmot are the Lions' 'iron men', playing more games in a four-year span than anyone in the history of the competition.

While the knockabout duo admit to luck playing a role in their remarkable consistency, both have put strategies in place to give themselves the best chance each week as Brisbane prepares for a fourth consecutive Grand Final.

Rayner has made dramatic changes to his lifestyle, carefully strategising his diet and installing a sauna at his place to aid recovery.

It's a far cry from the teenager that was "baked" by the Lions following a horror 3km time trial in front of scouts before he was taken with the first pick in the 2017 AFL Draft.

"This year more than ever I've put more time into my body," Rayner told AFL.com.au.

"Little things like having a sauna at home, getting in the water and stretching and trying to get moving as quickly as I can, which I probably wasn't doing when I was younger.

"I'm in the sauna most night for probably 40 minutes.

"It helps me get to sleep. Having a sauna before bed has turned into my routine. I'll even get to the club earlier and get in the water. I feel like a lot of people underestimate how valuable that is to get in the water and get moving.

"You quickly turn from the young 18-year-old to 26 and feeling like 50.

"Four long years of playing heaps of games and I'm still ready to go."

Rayner was not always Brisbane's best trainer, coming back from his first off-season out of shape, but says the club's high-performance team put him on the right track early in his career.

High performance manager Damien Austin told the Victorian "nothing more, nothing less" when he got to the club, and Rayner has stuck to it.

He admitted there were times during this season where he was sore and potentially in doubt to play, but the Lions prioritise him playing on weekends and take the pressure off training.

"Those weeks you can buy into your body being right," he said.

"I feel my body has just got that consistency of playing.

"This year has been a realisation for me that the more work I can do away from the club is going to make me better.

"I know it's simple to say that, but the value of it is there."

And that extends to his diet. Rayner laughed that he came back from that first pre-season tipping the scales at over 100kg. Now he watches what he puts into his body.

"After games I have a lot of foods that are anti-inflammatory, like salmon," he said.

"When you're building towards a game, just making sure you're planning what you're eating before you go instead of grabbing whatever.

"I feel like when I'm doing that it makes me mentally feel like I've done the right thing.

"Obviously, it's helping a little bit, but mentally if I feel like I'm doing everything right, it gives me no reason to not feel good. There's definitely a little bit of luck involved.

"The difference is now you see the younger guys coming to the club at 18 and 19 and they're doing everything right, you think 'geez, I'm a bit behind the eight-ball here', so you've got to make sure that you lift your level to theirs."

Rayner and Wilmot are among six Lions to have topped 100 games in the past four season.

Josh Dunkley and Charlie Cameron have played 104, Harris Andrews 102 and Lachie Neale 100.

No other player in the competition has hit triple figures in that span.

Wilmot has not missed a game since his debut in the 2022 elimination final against Richmond, where he coincidentally came in to replace a suspended Rayner.

"Everyone gets knocks and niggles you play through, but the love for the game is the reason, the drive and everything behind everything," Wilmot said.

"I'm just happy I've been healthy to play each game, and I'm playing well for the team and can give back to them."

The 22-year-old said his preparation for game day was less focused on the physical side of things.

"The mental side of things where you're not getting yourself too up-and-about and you're not getting yourself too low. Finding that happy balance. That's what works for me," Wilmot said.

"I don't get too riled up before games like I used to. That's the big energy-saver.

"As I'm getting older, I'm still young, but compared to when I was 18 and full of energy, I think it's natural that you're more conservative and can think things through with experience ... it just naturally happens.

"You'd have to chop something off for me to miss a game. I'm not missing for nothing."