Expected wet conditions at the Gabba likely to suit returning Lions pair Charlie Cameron and Kai Lohmann

The return of premiership-winning forwards Charlie Cameron and Kai Lohmann could not have been timed any better for the Brisbane Lions on what’s expected to be a wet night at the Gabba on Saturday. The Lions hope to extend their unbeaten start to the season to three matches when they host a Geelong team keen to make amends for last weekend’s shock loss to St Kilda. With heavy rain forecast for Brisbane on Saturday, Lions coach Chris Fagan has predicted a “ground level” game, which will suit Cameron and Lohmann, who return from respective calf and ankle injuries. “Two nippy blokes in the forward line that can swoop on to a loose ball, they’re pretty handy inclusions,” Fagan said on Friday. “It’s good to have them back in the team.” However, in wet conditions last season at the Gabba, the Cats won by 26 points against a Lions team that included both Cameron and Lohmann. “It’s a contest-to-contest game (in the wet). That’s where we made the mistake last year. We over handballed in those conditions, and it helped cause our demise,” Fagan said. The game will be Cameron’s first of the season, meaning for the first time in their 2025 campaign, Fagan will be able to field his preferred forward line that also includes off-season recruit Sam Day, who was brought to the club to help fill the void left by the departed Joe Daniher. “It is the forward line we had all pre-season, but haven’t really had for the first couple of games, so it’ll be interesting to see how that goes,” the Lions coach said. ”We talk about forward lines, and ball movement might not be the big thing (on Saturday) if it’s wet, but. really, if you move the ball well, you give yourself the best chance to score. “That’s something we’ve been good at over the last few years, and that’s helped us to be a high-scoring team, and that’s probably the main thing.” Brisbane’s forwards are set to be confronted by star Geelong defender Tom Stewart, who has been named in the Cats team despite suffering a knee injury in his side’s loss to the Saints. “He’s a superstar defender. He’s probably the best intercept player in the game,” Fagan said. “We’ve had plenty of games against Geelong with Tom playing. That’s just one of the challenges you have to overcome when you’re playing against the Cats. “He’s a fantastic player.” Fagan said the returning Bailey Smith, who was a late withdrawal from Geelong’s side last week due to calf soreness, would also be a “handy in” for the visitors. “You probably have to ask them whether they missed him or not. I guess they lost the game, so that’s what they’d say (that they missed Smith),” he said.