The Brisbane Lions’ defensive unit were always going to have their work cut out for them against a versatile Carlton outfit.

Not only did the Lions have to cover for suspended pair Daniel Merrett and Justin Clarke, but Mitch Golby’s late withdrawal robbed the team of arguably its most effective rebounder.

Prior to the Blues game, Merrett, Clarke and Golby had formed part of a relatively settled back six.

Their absence meant temporary measures had to be put into place to limit the opposition’s scoring capacity.

Unfortunately Carlton was able to score 33 times from 58 inside 50m at a scoring conversion rate of 57%. In their previous game, the Lions had limited Essendon to just 26 scoring shots from 61 entries (42.6%).  

Reigning Club Champion Joel Patfull had the most difficult task in trying to stop Jarrad Waite, who finished with a game-high 12 marks (seven inside 50m) and kicked three goals three.

Assistant Coach Murray Davis says the Lions defence will need to work better together this Friday night to combat a powerful Collingwood attack spearheaded by Travis Cloke.

“Joel Patfull’s been one of our most consistent defenders – he certainly had his hands full on Saturday night against Carlton,” Davis told Lions TV as part of the Vero Coaches’ Wrap.

“But we’d like to think it’s a team approach and we’ve got to make sure that’s how we approach Collingwood on Friday night.”

While Merrett and Golby remain sidelined, Patfull can expect some extra relief in the form of rookie Clarke who has served his one-match suspension.

Clarke’s likely inclusion might free up first-gamer Sam Michael to play a more familiar role.

“(Sam Michael) was really good. He hasn’t played a lot of footy down back – he’s been playing mainly in the ruck and forward with the reserves,” Davis said.

“We picked him on his competitiveness, and he showed that against some taller and very talentd players in (Matthew) Kreuzer and (Robert) Warnock. We thought on debut he certainly held his own.”