A ‘bulked up’ Brent Staker hopes that extra time spent in the gym over the past year can help him become a more prominent figure at either end of the ground for the Brisbane Lions in 2015.

The luckless Staker has played in just 15 of the Lions’ past 66 senior matches, after battling a spate of unfortunate injuries in recent years.

However, the 30-year-old has used much of his time in rehab to work on his strength – particularly in his upper body – and the scales would suggest that he has been successful in adding more size to his already large frame.

“Every training session I’m weighing in at around 102.5kg. I seem to have put on a bit more muscle. Usually I’m running at around 97-98kg,” Staker told lions.com.au.

“If I’m going to try and have a crack at a key forward position, that’s obviously a role that demands a bit more weight. And if I have to play defence on a bigger body, then I’ve got that size.”

Fortunately Staker’s size hasn’t seemed to affect one of greatest assets, his agility.

“I’m still fairly agile for my age, which is a bonus,” he said.

Senior Coach Justin Leppitsch is still yet to give any indication of where Staker might best fit into the senior team next season, but is likely to use him as a ‘swingman’ depending on the Club’s needs.

“I think I’ll be the utility I’ve always been,” Staker said.