Lincoln McCarthy welcomed the pre-Finals bye and told Mike and Dom on The Roar Deal that he hopes the rest will help his performance this weekend against Richmond in the Lions’ Qualifying Final at The Gabba.

McCarthy said the last time the Lions went on a bye, after Round 12’s loss to Carlton, it did wonders for his game.

“I probably haven’t played my best footy in the last month,” McCarthy said.

“You want that spark back and you want to bring some excitement into the Finals.

“I think that bye, just for footy in general, is really good for a lot of teams and a lot of players who are wanting to hit their straps.”

McCarthy slipped away to the Sunshine Coast for the four-day break with his partner Tayla, which was relaxing for both of them.

“They ride the season with us a fair bit as well,” he said.

“If I don’t play very well or we lose she’s got to put up with me.”

McCarthy, in his first season at the Lions, after spending seven years at Geelong, said it’s important for the players and staff to balance the excitement of Finals, with treating it as though it’s a regular season game.

“I think we’re just trying to keep it as another game in a way, enjoy the buildup as it is but at the end of the day it’s just another game,” he said.

“It is just a balancing act to be honest.

“We’ve got a big opportunity and we want to make the most of it, but you’ve got to keep coming back to the job at hand.”

The Lions will play their first AFL Finals game in a decade on Saturday night against the Richmond Tigers in front of a sold-out Gabba crowd.