JUST over a week after Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay put North Melbourne's defence to the sword, Alastair Clarkson has backed his freshly-reinforced backline to wrangle Brisbane's potent attack.
Clarkson will welcome back Ben McKay from a foot injury and Griffin Logue from suspension on Saturday.
It couldn't be better timing, ahead of facing a Lions side featuring talls Joe Daniher and Eric Hipwood, the explosive Cameron Rayner and crafty smalls Charlie Cameron and Zac Bailey.
"Daniher spent more time in the ruck last week, Rayner went forward last week and had a big impact there, he'd been playing mostly back for the games prior to that," Clarkson told reporters.
"That's a strength of the Brisbane side and we need to combat it. Not only have they got really powerful forwards, tall forwards ... but they're really, really dangerous at ground level.
"That's the potency of their side - their front end is particularly damaging."
Jack Gunston (managed) is missing but Brisbane can rotate Oscar McInerney and recalled big man Darcy Fort through its attack.
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Clarkson also expected his midfield, led by breakout star Luke Davies-Uniacke, co-captain Jy Simpkin and veteran Ben Cunnington - who was substituted last week - to go toe-to-toe with the likes of Lachie Neale and Josh Dunkley.
"If those big fellas for Brisbane, get a lot of supply then we might be in a bit of trouble. But if they don't then we give ourselves a chance," he said.
"Brisbane's midfield is one of the strongest in the competition and when they win, they usually win that midfield battle.
"As we've seen, they absolutely smashed Melbourne in that space. We know how highly-rated everyone regards Melbourne in that space and Brisbane just torched them in that game where the lights went out in the last quarter.
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"We need to make sure that Cunners (Cunnington) and LDU (Davies-Uniacke) and the other guys in there, Jy Simpkin, Will Phillips, Tom Powell, that we try to match it as best we can with a strong physical midfield."
The Kangaroos will take on the Lions at Mount Barker and Clarkson relished the prospect of a smaller sell out crowd.
"We’d probably prefer to play at a venue where it feels like there’s a really strong atmosphere than go to Adelaide Oval," he said.
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