DANIEL Rich has put the onus squarely on himself to help lift the Brisbane Lions from the doldrums in 2012.

The 2009 NAB Rising Star winner has played three seasons but says the past two have not been up to scratch.

The 21-year-old Western Australian has been one of the Lions' strongest trainers in the off-season and said it was no accident.

Despite a recent flare-up of a foot injury that cost him some time off last season, Rich says he is in tip-top shape and ready for Saturday's opening round against Melbourne.

Usually reserved and quietly spoken, the blonde midfielder was brutally honest when assessing his expectations for the coming season ahead of Lions training on Wednesday morning.

"To step up from the last couple of years. My own personal expectations and goals haven't been to where I want them and where the team needs them," Rich said.

"I'm really looking forward to this season. There's been a lot of focus on getting better as an individual over the pre-season.

"I've probably done a lot more than I have in previous years. Being able to do 85 to 90 per cent of the program definitely helps, being able to complete a lot of the sessions. Just doing it and enjoying it and having fun at the same time."

Known for his booming left foot, Rich is one of the most valuable assets in a Lions team hoping to lift from last season's 15th place.

Used primarily as a central midfielder and occasionally on a wing, he said playing a variety of roles was something he was hoping to do.

"As midfielders these days you have to be able to play lots of different positions with wing, half forward, could be half-back, could be inside, outside, so having different strings to your bow so you can get called on and go anywhere in the heat of the moment."

He said the mid-tier players who had played between 40 and 70 games needed to join him in making a leap to the next level.

"There's a lot of guys in that bracket that have good pre-seasons.

"Guys like Reddo (Jack Redden) and Rocky (Tom Rockliff) and Polks (James Polkinghorne) last year played good, consistent footy, so it's on us to not be inconsistent throughout the year.

"We're bringing the younger guys up as well because we know what we're going to get out of the older guys who are proven stars."

Rich said Melbourne would be "emotion-filled" on Saturday after the funeral of club great and former president Jim Stynes during the week.

"It's going to be an important game for us to kick the season off the way we want to play and the way we want to perform."