THE Brisbane Lions had better brush up on their grand final pre-game rituals.

Only seven of the players who contributed to Friday night's win against Geelong have played a part in an AFL grand final. Justin Sherman, whose two last-quarter goals put Brisbane in the clear in Friday's Semi Final, was barely out of short pants when he last played in a grand final.The former Tasmanian played in a winning premiership side for Clarence prior to the 2004 national draft.

``I was lucky enough to win that one,'' the 20-year-old said. ``It's been a while but it's a big step up from there to AFL.''

The lack of big-game experience is a sign of the Lions' evolution. The average age of the Lions on Friday night was just 22. Of that team, onlyChris Johnson, Luke Power, Simon Black, Robert Copeland, Beau McDonald,Ashley McGrath and Tim Notting have premiership credentials.

The likely return of Jonathan Brown and Daniel Bradshaw will add an imposing look to the Lions' spine. Coach Leigh Matthews' reluctance totravel has not rubbed off on the Lions' cubs who have embraced an``anywhere, anytime'' approach to the pre-season finale.

``It's not every day you get to play a final,'' Sherman said. ``But if it means we have to come back down here (Melbourne) again next week then we're going to give it our best shot.''

Matthews said the current crop of players were the zippiest he had coached at Brisbane. ''The class might be down, but the ability to run (is better),'' he said. ''They were trying to run and create and we encourage that.''