A fully fit Brisbane squad is giving coach Chris Fagan selection headaches ahead of playing Melbourne on Sunday as the Lions take a "horses for courses" approach in 2019.
With young leader Jarrod Berry available after missing five weeks with a knee injury, the only players in Thursday's rehab group were wingman Tom Cutler (foot) and untried big man Connor Ballenden (ankle).
Fagan said Berry was fit enough to be selected for the senior team, but after last week's 56-point drubbing of St Kilda, the hard part would be finding someone to leave out.
"His running fitness, the pre-season he had, the games that he played up until the point he got injured, he's got plenty of work under his belt," Fagan said.
"It's just a matter of whether or not he can push somebody else out of the team at the moment."
Adding to the dilemma is the fact Brisbane's team in unbeaten from 10 matches in the NEAFL, with a percentage of 249.
Young players like Brandon Starcevich, Zac Bailey, Corey Lyons and Toby Wooller are pressing hard, while the more experienced Ryan Bastinac, Nick Robertson and Ben Keays are routinely among the best players.
"It's a good thing," Fagan said.
"It's better than the reverse. It's better to have a lot of players putting their hands up.
"Then it just comes down to us coaches working out the best combination of 22 players for that particular game on that weekend.
"We have this year moved away from picking the same 22 each week to being a bit more horses for courses.
"You need a good squad with good variety and different talents to be able to do that.
"That's a little step in our evolution as a footy club."
Brisbane is locked in the top eight following last Saturday's win, but bracing itself for a vastly improved Melbourne outfit fresh from victory over Fremantle.
"They'll play with great ferocity as they always do," Fagan said.
"We have huge respect for Melbourne, they played in a preliminary final last year and have a talented list.
"They play a hard, contested brand of footy. That's what we're readying ourselves for."
