Brisbane coach Chris Fagan has declared influential skipper Dayne Beams will play again this season in a major relief to the developing AFL battlers.
Beams played a bare 60 seconds in the last-placed Lions' 60-point drubbing by premiership pacesetters GWS Giants on Saturday night after being ironed out by Shane Mumford.
The classy midfielder was put in the firing line by an inept kick from Nick Robertson and lay prone on the Gabba surface for two minutes before being assisted off with a left shoulder injury.
Beams, who had his right shoulder reconstructed in late 2015, never looked like returning, raising fears his season was over.
Fagan largely allayed those concerns after the 22.14 (146) to 12.14 (86) loss.
"We'll know more once he's had a scan but there isn't an expectation that he's going to need an operation," he said.
"He'll probably recover and play some footy, I just don't know how long he'll be out for, whether that will be one week or four weeks."
Fagan was left to lament the absence of the former Collingwood premiership star, especially when both Dayne Zorko and Daniel Rich were largely invisible.
Queenslander Sam Reid did an outstanding tagging job on the in-form Zorko, who was held to just five possessions.
Fagan was reluctant to criticise a "rare, quiet night" for Zorko, who Beams this week said should be in All-Australian contention.
"If Beamsy had been out there it might have been able to help us a little more and he may have been able to settle things around the clearances in that third quarter," the coach said.
"The upside is Rhys Mathieson had to stand up and he did."
Mathieson had 32 possessions while first-year players Hugh McCluggage, Jarrod Berry and debutant Alex Withenden were among their best.
"They're a fantastic team GWS and have lots and lots of talent and they had a bit more skill and poise than us tonight and were able to take more advantage of their opportunities," Fagan said.
Share
