BRISBANE Lions skipper Jonathan Brown is on track to make a return from injury against North Melbourne at the Gabba in round nine.

Brown, 29, suffered multiple jaw, voice box and cheek fractures in a sickening collision with Fremantle's Luke McPharlin in round one at the Gabba and underwent extensive surgery to reset and pin the bones back in place.

His return to the field would come after eight weeks on the sidelines and while he still has to undergo extensive testing before being passed fit, Brown is confident of meeting his target.

"I'm still in constant contact with the surgeon, obviously, and I've got to wait for his all-clear, but I'm hoping it's then,'' Brown said on Friday.

"I meet with the surgeon every week and I can maybe try and twist his arm, but I'm not sure it's really a negotiable injury this one.

"I'm back in full training, but probably this time of the year they do a lot of contact work and match-simulation work, so I get pulled out of all those drills. I'm doing a fair bit of training on my own, but no contact."

Brown has slowly worked at regaining function in his jaw and mouth and has dropped four kilograms from his frame during the layoff thanks to his inability to eat solids.

While he has some work to do to regain that muscle mass, he doesn't feel the injury has set him back much in terms of his fitness.
 
"The positive out of the injury is that I don't really have to go through any rehab as such," he said.

"Training the other day with the boys, my lungs are really good and I've been able to blow the cobwebs out after being in bed for a couple of weeks.

"I'm still not allowed to eat much, it has to be soup and soft stuff. Hopefully, I can get into a steak in a couple of weeks time.

"I've lost a fair bit of feeling in my face, but I'm sure most of that will come back.

"It has been a little embarrassing a couple of times when I've had food sitting on the end of my chin and I can't feel it. I've just had to make sure I've been wiping my mouth after I eat."

The Lions remain winless (0-4) since Brown's injury, but he's been heartened at the form his youthful team has been able to muster in his absence.

"We've lost three games by 12 points or less I think," he said.

"So it's been very frustrating watching those close losses. It could be a hell of a lot different, but we are encouraged internally by the efforts we're putting in and the style of footy that we are playing.

"Hopefully, over the next three or four weeks, we'll start getting some experienced players back to help the contribution of all our terrific young players."