With Matt Maguire still in doubt for this weekend’s clash against Richmond, returning midfielder Daniel Rich believes the Lions defence will still be in safe hands without its regular full-back.

Maguire underwent scans earlier this week which revealed minor ankle damage that could see the 28-year-old forced to watch from the sidelines this weekend.

However, Rich says that there is plenty of experience in the Lions back line to cover the loss of Maguire.

In fact, compared to others areas of the ground, the Lions defenders are arguably the most experienced of the bunch.

Jed Adcock (26), Josh Drummond (29), and Joel Patfull (27) have all spent more than eight years at senior AFL level, and anchor a defence which currently leads the league in spoils.

“Even if Matt Maguire doesn’t play, there’s a lot of guys that can stand up,” Rich said.

“There’s guys like Joel (Patfull) and Niall (McKeever), and Drummo’s coming back, so there are a lot of guys that can step up and take the mantle if Goose (Maguire) isn’t playing.”

“Our backline has a lot of depth and I definitely have a lot of confidence in those guys.”

Rich is set to return for the Lions this week from a two-week suspension.