LEIGH Matthews has denied Brisbane were close to a premiership window but adamantly believed they could mix it with anyone in the AFL finals.
Coach Matthews has been heartened by the Lions' hard-nosed competitiveness in 2008 which has them eyeing a finals campaign for the first time in four years.
Eighth-placed Brisbane confront St Kilda, who hold an identical 4-4 win-loss record, on Sunday at the Gabba determined to post their first back-to-back wins of the season.
The next three weeks mark a huge opportunity for the Lions to consolidate their standing in the top eight with successive home games against the Saints, North Melbourne and Fremantle.
With class quartet Jonathan Brown, Simon Black, Travis Johnstone and Josh Drummond back from injury and firing, Saturday night's 33-point thumping of Carlton highlighted Brisbane's potential.
But a typically-conservative Matthews isn't getting ahead of himself and dismissed talk of nearing another premiership window.
"We're nowhere near a premiership window," said the coach who led the Lions to the 2001, 2002 and 2003 flags.
"We're in a window of trying to make sure we can go from the middle of the list (after finishing ninth last year).
"Middle of the list is fourth to 12th.
"We're one of the middle-of-the-list eight that is trying to work our way into the top part of the eight, the top four.
"The premiership opportunity can open up when you don't (expect it). No one knows it's going to be there.
"That (a premiership window) is a load of rubbish. If you play well enough then it opens up.
"If you take the last few years we've played some footy that has enabled us to think we can play finals-type standard footy but we haven't done it often enough yet."
Matthews said he got more confidence out of pushing unbeaten ladder leaders Geelong and Hawthorn than the slick win over the Blues.
"On the couple of teams we've played who are right up there we haven't been far away," he said.
Brisbane strike the Saints when they are vulnerable with Nick Riewoldt, Xavier Clarke, Steven Baker and Matt Maguire all out and Fraser Gehrig struggling to perform.
It gives the Lions a prime chance to end their cycle of following a win with a loss this year.
"We've been consistently inconsistent," Matthews said.
"We've got to get out of that cycle if we want to make anything of the season."
Black has been consigned to a modified training regime due to a lingering groin problem after having pre-season surgery for osteitis pubis.
Matthews admitted the 2002 Brownlow Medallist wasn't happy about reducing his weekly workload but would cope.
"He's a smart man and he's a hard worker and work ethic is one of his great strengths but there's no point having a high work ethic and working yourself into injury," he said.
"He's fit. He's got the residual fitness of 10 years in the competition and he's got the residual fitness from a fairly normal build-up and played the games."
Young ruckman Matthew Leuenberger (hamstring) is unlikely to be available to play the Saints but the outlook is brighter for Robbie Copeland (ankle).
