Even though premiership points won’t be on the line, Saturday night’s NAB Cup match against Collingwood will be critically important in terms of the Brisbane Lions’ Round One preparations.

The Lions’ entire pre-season program has been building towards the Club’s season opener against the Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium, which is now just a few weeks away.

Senior Coach Michael Voss views this weekend’s practice match as an opportunity to not only fine-tune the team’s ‘best 22’, but also get a closer look at their Round One venue, Etihad Stadium.

“As we’ve already stated, Round One is our focus and we can’t lose sight of that,” Voss said.

“But this game is being played at Etihad Stadium, which is where we play Round One, and we’re playing against a good opposition.”

“Anytime you can sort of simulate what a Round One game would look like, it’s a good opportunity for preparation for your Round One game. It’s going to be an important part of our preparation.”

Voss also welcomed the challenge of facing one of the competition’s premiership fancies, Collingwood, who are fresh from an impressive win over West Coast at Subiaco.

“We expect they’ll be a top four team,” Voss said.

“(Collingwood) have an exceptional midfield, their defence is looking tighter and their forward pressure has gone up.”

“I’m just looking forward to seeing how our group goes against that particular team.”

Voss has made no secret of the fact the Lions will be fielding their strongest side so far, and expects Collingwood will be no different.  

“Everyone’s got different objectives at the moment, but you’d expect they’d have a full complement of midfield available,” Voss said.

“That leans well to see how the contested nature of our game is going.”

“Our midfield group has changed a little bit, so having a good look at them (against quality opposition) could be important.”

It will also prove an important occasion for all Victorian-based fans, with a number of FREE supporter events planned around the Lions’ NAB Cup match – along with the annual Family Fun Day the following morning.

Meanwhile, non-Victorian fans will be able to watch a LIVE broadcast of the match on Fox Footy from 6:30pm (local time).