A STRUGGLING West Coast Eagles outfit will make the trek to the Gabba this Saturday and star forward Daniel Bradshaw says the Brisbane Lions are desperate to avoid playing the 2006 premiers back into form.

The seventh-placed Lions have not beaten the Eagles at the Gabba since Round 20 of 2002, and have won only five of 18 games overall against West Coast.

However, the Eagles currently sit at 14th on the AFL ladder and have emerged victorious from just one of their 14 games since beating the Lions in Perth in round one. Bradshaw is determined to see it stay that way, especially after back-to-back losses to Melbourne and Essendon.

"We’re striving to stay in the top-eight so I’d like to think we’ve got a whole lot to play for," Bradshaw said.

"But if you look at a couple of weeks back, we lost to Melbourne when they played some pretty good footy and we probably paid the price for not being switched on and being in a bit of holiday mode.

"Then last week, Essendon actually went into the game in pretty good form and played really well, but again, we didn’t play our best footy.

"This is a really big game for us and it’s important we get things right. We definitely don’t want to be playing West Coast back into form."

Form is something Bradshaw has become accustomed to speaking about in 2008, because his own has been close to career-best.

Although the 29-year-old is quick to point out his average disposals have been les than in 2005 and 2006, his goal-kicking rate has been significantly higher.

With 51 goals from 13 games, Bradshaw is well-positioned to break his previous season-high of 59 in 2006, and is still a chance of eclipsing Alastair Lynch’s club record of 78 majors in a season.

While recent media speculation has surrounded the injury problems of Nigel Lappin and the possibility that a groin issue may limit Simon Black’s longevity, Bradshaw is cautiously optimistic of kicking on beyond his current contract.

"When you get towards 30 you do tend to start thinking about how much longer you will be around," Bradshaw said.

"I’ve still got this year and next year to go and at that stage I’ll be going on 31, so I guess it will be a matter of assessing how I’m playing and how the body is holding up.

"But at the moment I’m feeling pretty good and my form’s okay, so I’m hopeful I have a few more years left in me.

"I know it’s a real cliché but at this stage of your career you really do have to focus on making sure your body is right week-to-week and not thinking too far down the track."

Lions coach Leigh Matthews drew headlines earlier this week when he commented that modern-day players almost needed to be “force-fed" football away from the club environment.

Bradshaw, who recently welcomed his fourth child with wife Angie, enjoys watching football in his spare time but says it’s very much an individual choice.

"I don’t think it’s something where there is a right or a wrong – it’s something that each player has to make a decision on and everyone’s different," he said.

"I’ve got pay-TV and during the week at night I’ll definitely have a look at a team or an opponent I might have coming up. Not necessarily a whole game but enough to give me an idea of what to expect.