He's keeping a close eye on proceedings but Brisbane coach Chris Fagan has given his players control of the reins for Saturday's AFL clash against COVID-19 hit West Coast.
In a move learnt during his time as an assistant at Hawthorn, Fagan charged his players with devising the plans and tactics to take on an Eagles team reeling from last weekend's heavy loss to Richmond and the COVID-19 enforced absence of coach Adam Simpson and eight players.
It's a decision Fagan says is not out of any disrespect towards the ailing Eagles but more to add another dimension to his team's growth as they look to keep up the presser on ladder leaders Melbourne.
"Probably for the first time in my coaching career, the players have had a big input into the planning for this game, they're sort of owning it," Fagan said.
"I'm very much looking forward to tomorrow night to see how their plans work, and I'm not being flippant about that game when I did this, I see that as a real opportunity for our guys to develop.
"I know in my time at Hawthorn the leadership group that we had there, were very much capable of organising the game and the tactics that we would use."
Fagan has confirmed that Jack Payne will come into the team for injured forward Joe Daniher (shoulder), while fellow tall Eric Hipwood is a week away from returning from the ACL injury he suffered late last season.
The Lions coach was also dismissive of Richmond forward Jack Riewoldt's call for Saturday's game to be suspended due to the Eagles being forced to call on supplementary list players for a second time this season.
"I wonder why Jack didn't say that last week before Richmond played them?," Fagan quipped, referencing the Tigers' 109-point victory at Optus Stadium before adding the undermanned Eagles are being taken extremely seriously by the in-form Lions.
"A picture could easily be painted that we're playing a West Coast Eagles team that's full of young blokes that have hardly played any football.
"But the truth is they'll still run out tomorrow with probably 12 or 13 players that played in the premiership side not so long ago.
"To disrespect them in any way, shape or form would be a big mistake by us."
