THE BATTLING Brisbane Lions will be boosted by the inclusions of Jonathan Brown and Pearce Hanley for Saturday's match against Essendon at the Gabba.
Brown (soreness) and Hanley (back) missed last weekend's 79-point thumping from the Sydney Swans, but both trained well on Tuesday morning.
Peter Schwab, who recently took up the newly-created role of talent acquisition and retention manager, confirmed the news.
"Both Hanley and Brown should play this week," Schwab said.
Hanley missed round five with a hamstring injury, played round six, then missed the weekend with the hamstring-related back problem.
But during a skills session on Tuesday morning, he showed agility in both directions and had little trouble kicking and running, although never getting into full stride.
The last-placed Lions have battled injuries to key personnel early in the season, with Daniel Rich (season) and Matthew Leuenberger (eight weeks) suffering long-term knee injuries.
Neither Brent Staker or Ash McGrath (both with calf injuries) have played a game.
Schwab says while 2014 is not a write-off, the main message is to continue exposing the host of draftees the club has recruited in the past two years.
"We've got some great talent here and the first thing we're doing well is we're coaching it well and we've bolstered our coaching division to do that," he said.
"Who knows? I can't predict. It (improvement) could be 12 months, it could be 24 months, but it will happen.
"We need to make sure the players that are here are here for a long time.
"I can't give you a prediction on wins and losses. I'd like to think we'll start this weekend by beating Essendon. Every week I think we can win."
