THE Brisbane Lions have made three changes as they look to repeat the efforts of Port Adelaide and knock off top-of-the-table Geelong at the Gabba on Saturday night.

The Lions have selected kick-in specialist Josh Drummond, mobile defender Jason Roe and hard-leading forward Wayde Mills for what is a must-win clash. Mitch Clark and Justin Sherman were omitted, while Joel Patfull is out with a collarbone injury.

If the Lions win and other results fall their way, finals football would be on the agenda and midfielder Simon Black believes the Power’s upset win last week provided a hint of what he and his teammates must do to beat the Cats.

“Port Adelaide really put a lot of pressure on them, especially around the ball – and that’s what you always have to do if you are going to knock off the top side,” Black said.

“It wasn’t a hugely free flowing contest but Port managed to exert enough of that pressure to contain Geelong, while kicking just enough goals themselves.

“We’ll be trying to do something similar on the weekend.”

Geelong made two changes to the side that was beaten by Port, bringing in Joel Selwood and Cameron Ling for David Johnson and Henry Playfair.

The teams:
BRISBANE LIONS
B: Josh Drummond, Daniel Merrett, Troy Selwood
HB: Jed Adcock, Jason Roe, Colm Begley
C: Tim Notting, Nigel Lappin, Cheynee Stiller
HF: Michael Rischitelli, Jonathan Brown, Robert Copeland
F: Richard Hadley, Jared Brennan, Matthew Leuenberger
FOLL: Cameron Wood, Simon Black, Luke Power
I/C: Chris Scott, Wayde Mills, Chris Johnson, Anthony Corrie
EMG: Mitch Clark, Justin Sherman, Matthew Moody

GEELONG
B: Darren Milburn, Matthew Scarlett, Tom Harley
HB: Andrew Mackie, Matthew Egan, David Wojcinski
C: James Kelly, Corey Enright, Joel Corey
HF: Steve Johnson, Cameron Mooney, Joel Selwood
F: Paul Chapman, Nathan Ablett, Mathew Stokes
FOLL: Brad Ottens, Gary Ablett, Cameron Ling
I/C: Mark Blake, Shannon Byrnes, Travis Varcoe, Josh Hunt
EMG: Tim Callan, David Johnson, Charlie Gardiner

On the punt:
Geelong has been a standout all season but the Lions, despite last week’s loss to Adelaide, are over the odds at home on UNiTAB at $3. The $3.35 being bet for either team winning by 15 or less points is also attractive.

Jonathan Brown’s lead over Matthew Pavlich in the Coleman Medal race has been shaved to only two goals but the big Lion remains a solid $1.25 favourite. Those who think he has done enough to figure in Brownlow Medal reckoning might like a piece of the $8.50 (and $2.87 for a place) on offer regarding Brown’s chances for the game’s ultimate individual accolade.

Key match-up:
Jed Adcock (Lions) v Gary Ablett (Geelong): There is no guarantee this match-up will happen – indeed, were teams to line up as named, it wouldn’t.

But of all the Lions equipped to play on Geelong’s Brownlow Medal favourite, Adcock is the best fit. The 21-year-old played on Ablett with success in 2005 and has the pace, tenacity and skill to merit another chance.

Odds and sods:

• Jonathan Brown would need something truly special to break Alastair Lynch’s merged club record for goals in a season. Brown currently has 70 goals for the season (third-best in Lions merged history) but still trails the tallies of Lynch in 2002 (74) and 2003 (78). On the other hand, Brown, who leads Fremantle’s Matthew Pavlich by two goals, is poised to become the merged Lions’ first-ever Coleman Medallist.

• The Lions won their first 10 games against the Cats post-merger between 1997 and 2003 – the club’s longest winning streak against any club. Geelong has only beaten the Lions four times in 16 encounters, including the last three.