THE BRISBANE Lions are confident captain Dayne Beams will play again this season after he was taken off with a shoulder injury in the opening minute of Saturday's loss to Greater Western Sydney.

Beams was collected heavily but fairly in a hip-and-shoulder by Giant ruckman Shane Mumford, and left the ground supporting his arm with his guernsey. 

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The midfielder's injured left shoulder isn't the same one he had reconstructed during 2015. 

Speaking after the match, Lions coach Chris Fagan said Beams would get scans to determine more, but the club was optimistic. 

Five talking points: Brisbane Lions v Greater Western Sydney

"There isn't an expectation that he's going to need an operation or anything like that," Fagan said. 

"He'll probably recover and play some footy. 

"I just don't know how long he's going to be out for, whether that's one week or four weeks, we'll know more after the scans." 

One of the most important players for the Lions, Beams has been a crucial cog in the midfield. 

He has had a horrific run with injury, missing all but two matches in 2016 with knee problems.

It was a bad day for the Lions after Tom Bell fractured his leg badly in a NEAFL game earlier in the day. 

The former Carlton utility is believed to have fractured both his tibia and fibula during the last quarter of his team's win over the Giants.