Daniel Merrett isn’t the only Brisbane Lions player who’s been under the knife in recent days, with Jared Polec and Jonathan Brown also booked in for early surgeries.

Polec underwent a minor procedure on a troublesome ankle injury which has plagued him for most of 2013, while Brown backed up his recent plantar fascia repair with a knee clean-up.

“Getting the surgery in now, before the actual end of the season, gives the boys the best opportunity to rest and recover over the off-season, get all their rehab done, and hit the ground running for pre-season,” Strength and Conditioning Coach Matt Hass told LIONS TV as part of the Bupa Recovery Report.

“Jared just had a minor ankle injury that was niggling him, so we decided to finish up his season just so that we could get the surgery completed and get him on the recovery track and make sure he’s ready for our next pre-season.

“With Brown, we took the opportunity after his foot surgery to have a clean-up around the knee. There’s nothing too major there.”

Simon Black and Brent Moloney remain outside chances of returning against the Cats, with both midfielders likely to undergo fitness tests at training this week.

Stefan Martin, on the other hand, is still considered 1-2 weeks away after re-aggravating a hamstring injury suffered against Richmond in Round 20.

Meanwhile, James Polkinghorne (shoulder) is the latest Lions player to have his season ended prematurely.

See the full Round 23 Injury List