Brisbane's milestone man Darcy Fort believes the more ruckmen the better as the Lions chase off-contract big man Sam Draper.
Essendon's Draper, an unrestricted free agent, is expected to move to Queensland next year to bolster the Lions' ruck stocks.
Stalwart Oscar McInerney, who was the hard-luck story of Brisbane's premiership last year, is battling a chronic back injury that is no guarantee to get better.
The 31-year-old has been managed for Saturday night's blockbuster against Collingwood at the MCG, leaving Fort as the No.1 ruck and youngster Henry Smith to get an opportunity.
Fort would welcome any new inclusion into Brisbane's tight-knit ruck community.
"I'm not too aware of those specifics," he said on Friday when asked about the possibility of the Lions signing Draper.
"I'm always a fan of the more ruckmen the better.
"I'm a big advocate for ruckmen."
This week, Essendon coach Brad Scott played down rumours linking Draper with a move to Brisbane, but conceded there are doubts whether the 26-year-old will remain with the Bombers.
Fort will play his 50th AFL game, seven years after being recruited by Geelong, and 14 years since he was eligible to be drafted.
The 31-year-old famously stepped up to replace McInerney for last year's grand final when his good mate badly hurt his shoulder in the preliminary final.
"Oscar is the most humble guy in the group," said Fort, who joined the Lions in 2022.
"Always plays his role, team-first guy, so he set the standard there, and we're just doing our best to live up to him.
"He's been a warrior for us, and any opportunity we can get to give him a bit of a rest and get himself right, we're happy to do it."
Fort and Smith - playing just his fifth AFL game - will come up against one of the league's in-form rucks, Darcy Cameron.
The midfield battle will set the tone for the blockbuster clash between the No.1 and No.3 teams in front of an expected crowd of more than 70,000.
Brisbane are coming off their worst loss of the season, battered by Gold Coast last week as Matt Rowell dominated for the Suns.
Humbled by their Queensland rivals, the Lions know they will have to lift significantly to end a four-game losing run against the Magpies.
Ladder-leading Collingwood have had the edge over the Lions since their epic grand final in 2023, and comfortably won the encounter at the Gabba earlier this season.
"When you get touched up you need to bring the fire, and everyone wants to beat us all the time," Magpies forward Brody Mihocek told AAP.
"We know what our best footy is and we know what Brisbane's is, so it's going to be a tough battle, but we're looking forward to it.''
