Brisbane is set to regain some of its injured calvary, with Deven Robertson and Noah Answerth available for selection.
The Lions have had to dig deep into the playing list in recent weeks as regulars Brandon Starcevich (calf), Lincoln McCarthy (knee) and Darcy Gardiner (knee) were sidelined by injury.
Speaking on Thursday, coach Chris Fagan lauded the youngsters who have had to step up in their place, with the Tasmanian pressing that he is hopeful that the Lions will benefit from it in the long run.
"We had a really young team in... six or seven guys who hadn't played 20 games yet so it was a terrific effort," Fagan said.
"We've kept things going in the same manner: 'Come in, play your role, be consistent with your effort and play with energy'.
"That's the key message, we don't like to overcomplicate it. They're just gathering experience and learning along the way."
In a boost for the club, who face Richmond at the Gabba, Fagan expects Robertson and Answerth to put their hand up for selection, pending they get through training.
"They're both available for selection," Fagan said on Thursday.
"Noah has been all cleared and, of course, will need to get through training today and make sure he feels alright.
"He's got to double-check on that (concussion) but as it stands at the moment, we expect him to be available for selection and we know Dev will be available."
Will Ashcroft is also nearing a return after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in Round 18 last year, with Fagan revealing an estimated timeline on when he'll be back.
"We think, barring any sort of setbacks, around Round 16, without putting an exact time on it," Fagan said.
"He's been eager to go since two days after the operation, he's that sort of guy. He's putting everything in to make sure he's in great shape when he returns.
"He's starting to ramp up his football work at training now so we'll see how that goes over the next little while and hopefully he returns around that time.
"But we're not going to rush him back just for the sake of it."
As the Lions ramp up preparations against the Tigers, who've been under heavy media scrutiny following a 91-point thumping at the hands of the Western Bulldogs, Fagan is expecting a "response" from the 1-8 club.
"We know what's coming," Fagan said.
"A tough game against Richmond... they've been put under the blowtorch this week in Melbourne and we all know what that's like so there's usually a response.
"We know they're going to bring their A-game and we'll have to be on our toes."
When asked if the Gabba has an issue with its surface due to the growing injury toll and in particular knee injuries, Fagan quickly chalked it up to "bad luck", insisting the ground has nothing to do with it.
