Brisbane captain Dayne Zorko is under a fresh injury cloud after his side overcame a calamitous Joe Daniher blooper in a comeback 11.14 (80) to 10.9 (69) AFL home win over Port Adelaide.
The Power led by 24 points late in the third quarter on Saturday night before the Lions found their groove with a five-goals-to-one final term, Lachie Neale leading the charge after Marcus Adams had earlier kept the hosts in the game.
Daniher finished with four goals but produced a forgettable moment on halftime, needlessly handballing to Nakia Cockatoo after taking a huge mark at the top of the goal square just before the buzzer sounded.
It cost the Lions the halftime lead and, after a sloppy half from both sides, Port skipped away with three-straight goals to begin the third quarter.
But the Lions lifted late in the term, with Neale (31 disposals), Cockatoo, Lincoln McCarthy (two goals) and fit-again Noah Answerth playing a crucial part in the recovery.
Their slick ball movement returned just in time, Daniher kicking his third and fourth goals before McCarthy, Oscar McInerney and Charlie Cameron kicked truly.
"I'm so glad that we won that game and didn't lose by a small margin, because we never would have heard the end of it," Lions coach Chris Fagan said of Daniher's ill-timed handball.
"I guess he was just trying to be a team player; I would have liked him to go back and have the shot but maybe the communication didn't get out to him that there wasn't much time left.
"I'd have to talk to him about that, but he made up for it.
"It was a mighty tough, high pressure game and ... as scratchy as it was, it would have been brilliant to watch."
Brisbane captain Zorko, playing off half-back, was substituted at three-quarter time with an apparent lower leg injury while Jarrod Berry also came off late with what seemed a shoulder injury.
Zorko recently had surgery on his achilles and missed the side's preseason games.
But Fagan, who said his captain "heard a pop" in his calf area, declared his skipper had been fit to play and that he hoped it wouldn't develop into something serious.
Port's Dan Houston (36 touches, two goals, 10 inside 50s) was arguably best on ground, almost putting his side within a goal with a minute to play when his rocket from outside 50m slammed into the post.
Travis Boak (32 touches) and Ollie Wines (29) were also influential for the visitors, who battled constant injuries that coach Ken Hinkley admitted eventually took their toll.
Port lost Xavier Duursma (collarbone) in the first quarter following a collision with Mitch Robinson in which the Lion was reported, while Trent McKenzie landed awkwardly and hyper-extended his knee.
Robbie Gray also had his knee strapped early in the first quarter while Connor Rozee and Aliir Aliir returned to play after receiving treatment.
"Without blaming injuries, that's the reality of brutal footy," Hinkley, who is hopeful both Duursma and McKenzie have avoided serious setbacks, said.
"Our blokes were prepared to pay a price and by the end ... maybe we were out on our feet a bit, but Brisbane took it to another level and we couldn't keep going.
"If we can play that way every week we'll win a lot more than we lose."
