By the time the Brisbane Lions’ Match Committee convened on Thursday, the emotion from the team’s disastrous Round One loss had well and truly subsided, and the focus had shifted to this Saturday’s match against Adelaide.

While some fans called for wholesale changes at the selection table, others preferred to see the Round One side stay the same to give those players a chance to redeem themselves.

In the end, the Lions opted for three changes – one of which was forced after Matt Maguire was ruled out with a calf injury.

While Maguire’s size and experience will be missed down back, Assistant Coach Adrian Fletcher says other players can help cover his loss.

“Daniel Merrett and Joel Patfull can hold down the key defensive posts, and we’ve got guys like Elliot Yeo back there as well who can match-up on a range of sizes,” Fletcher told lions.com.au.

“We’ve also brought in Ryan Lester who can be used in the midfield, down back or even up forward should we need. He gives us a bit more versatility.”

After proving his fitness with the Lions Reserves in recent weeks, Matthew Leuenberger will also prove a welcome return in the centre.   

“It’s great for Leuey personally, as well as the team, that he’s ready to go,” Fletcher said.

“His ability to get around the ground should give us some more speed in the middle, and he can also rotate through the forward line if needed.”

“We expect him to play a full game – we wouldn’t have selected him unless we thought he was capable of doing just that.”

“We think Billy (Longer) has done a fantastic job, but he only young and still developing his game.”

Andrew Raines was the third ‘IN’ for the Lions, and is expected to give the team some much-needed run and spark’.

“Rainesy not only performs a valuable role within the team, but he also gives the guys a bit of spirit,” Fletcher said.

“He loves a contest, and I’m sure he’ll be doing everything he can to make sure we come away with our first win of the season.”

Meanwhile, Aaron Cornelius’ omission means the Lions will enter the match with just the two genuine ‘tall’ forwards – Jonathan Brown and Stefan Martin.

“Having three talls can work, but only if you’re getting a lot of inside 50s and good delivery,” Fletcher said.

“And against Adelaide, we probably need to cover the ground a bit more, so we selected a few more runners.”