DANIEL Merrett will miss Saturday's QClash against Gold Coast as his hamstring injury drags on longer than expected.
The veteran Brisbane Lions full-back sustained the problem just days before the round two match against North Melbourne and was originally expected to miss two weeks.
However, it is taking longer to heal than anticipated, and Merrett now looks like being available in round six.
In better news for the injury-ravaged Lions, Pearce Hanley is stepping up his recovery from hip surgery and is on track to return after the bye, while ruckman Trent West will play in the NEAFL this weekend – his first game since rupturing his ACL last May.
But Merrett's continued absence is a blow to an inexperienced Lions outfit desperate to get off the mark with a win over the Suns.
"It's been a bit slow to respond," Lions football manager Dean Warren told AFL.com.au.
"He had a bit of bleeding in there that's affected it a bit more than we were hoping.
"It's probably going to be three weeks (out) instead of the two we were originally hoping."
The Lions' defence is particularly inexperienced without Merrett, playing Justin Clarke (aged 21), Marco Paparone (20) and Darcy Gardiner (19) as the three tall backs in Sunday's loss against West Coast.
Hanley is right on track to return in round 12 after progressing his running from the AlterG (anti-gravity) treadmill to doing laps around the Gabba in the past week.
Warren said with an ounce of luck, he could possibly return a week or two before that, but the classy Irishman would not be rushed.
"We're all very pleased with how he's tracking along. The original timeframe was the week after the bye and everything is on track for that," Warren said.
