Brisbane can't make the top eight but skipper Dayne Zorko says they want to shape it by tipping West Coast into a nightmare AFL finals match-up with Richmond.
The Lions close out a season of major improvement on Sunday at the Gabba against the Eagles, who are warm favourites but could drop as low as fourth on the ladder if they lose.
"They will be doing everything I reckon to not have to travel to Melbourne and play Richmond because they're a powerhouse down there and playing some fantastic football at the right time of the year," Zorko told reporters on Friday.
"Most teams outside the eight probably set that goal for themselves - if you can't be in them, you can certainly shape them.
"We're expecting (West Coast) to come out really hot.
"They've got a top two spot and home finals up for grabs, so it's important we've got to rally that early and get our game style going."
Zorko is confident Brisbane would be ready to meet the challenge, having learned from the mistakes they made in round 23 last year.
He said the team had thoroughly reviewed their 51-point defeat against North Melbourne, which was a limp end to coach Chris Fagan's first season in charge.
"We had a win maybe two weeks before that, confidence was sky high and our attitude was it was just going to happen," Zorko said.
Zorko, 29, has never played finals in his career and is probably getting tired of watching from the outside.
But he is confident his time will come after the Lions re-signed Fagan as coach for a further two seasons, tying the popular mentor to the club until the end of the 2021 campaign.
Zorko, like Fagan, isn't putting a timeline on when they might be able to crack the top eight, but he's confident it will happen sooner or later.
"We have had those close losses all year and it's important that we learn from them," he said.
"I'm sure it'll come in the next year or two with another pre-season, more composure, blokes feeling like they belong at the level.
"There's no ceiling on it."
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