Dayne Zorko admits he's had to rely on his veteran status to figure in Brisbane's round-one plans after more achilles issues.
The Lions' AFL captain was hampered by a prolonged achilles complaint in 2020 that demanded a modified training load.
Recent minor surgery on his opposite ankle, which Zorko on Wednesday specified as a clean-out of his achilles, saw him miss the side's pre-season fixtures.
But Zorko, who will lead the club for a fifth-straight season, plans to play against Port Adelaide on March 19.
"You'd always like to play a bit more than what I have but it's the nature of the beast," the 33-year-old said.
"It's about getting comfortable and feeling like I can play; if I can't, so be it. But I'm optimistic that I'll be right."
The 2017 All Australian signed a one-year contract extension last season and attempted to laugh off suggestions on Wednesday that it'll be his last.
"Fages (coach Chris Fagan) reassures me that as you get older you do have a few tickets in the bank," he said.
"I'm probably calling on all of those at the moment.
"Ideally I'd like to be out there training every session but at the moment that's not where it is
"The medical staff ... they'd done it before, it with Hodgey (Luke Hodge), did it with Birch (Grant Birchall).
"I'm probably not in their bracket yet in terms of age (Birchall retired at 33 and Hodge as a 35-year-old) but it feels like I might be pushing that way."
Zorko was joined on Wednesday by Gold Coast opposite Touk Miller for the Queensland AFL season launch.
Newly appointed captain Miller finished the season as one of the competition's form players and is fuelling the club's pursuit of a maiden finals berth in 2022.
"We want to play finals, that's the bottom line," he said.
"The group's just matured a lot more; we're in a position where we can play (competitively) for an entire season.
"We've had struggles in the past, fallen off a cliff in the end, but we know what we're capable of."
Brisbane are set to be without halfback Keidean Coleman (hamstring) for at least eight weeks in a setback given his strong finish to 2021, while James Madden (leg) was more likely to shrug off his complaint to be available.
Miller said recruited forward Mabior Chol was likely to feature when they begin their season in Perth against West Coast on March 20.
Both clubs and AFL Queensland declared their commitment to support the victims of recent flooding on both sides of the border.
