Brisbane's gutsy win over Adelaide at the Gabba could be a watershed moment in the club's season, according to Lions coach Leigh Matthews.

Pummelled last week by the Western Bulldogs, Brisbane emerged from the match looking far from a finals side and with its confidence shot.

But it gained some sort of redemption on Saturday night after shaking off a sluggish start to overpower the Crows by 13 points - their first win against a team higher on the ladder this season.

Matthews said the victory - particularly without the likes of experienced trio Daniel Bradshaw, Travis Johnstone and Nigel Lappin - would hold his team in good stead and prepare it for a tilt at a top-four berth.

"It was a really important game tonight to beat a team that's around (the same mark as) us, or in front of us," Matthews told Fox Sports after the match.

"We had a few out, so we had four or five of our youngsters in, so the ability to get home tonight was really important in the (context of the) whole season. You've got to be able to win those games by a goal or two if you want to accumulate enough wins to play finals."

The Crows led at every change but three goals in as many minutes to start the final quarter effectively ended the contest.

The move of Jared Brennan into the middle after half-time proved a masterstroke as he picked up 31 possessions in one of his best games in a Lions guernsey.

"I thought his second half around the middle of the ground was just sensational," Matthews said of the enigmatic 23-year-old, who was taken at pick No.3 overall in the 2002 national draft.

"He's been looking for a breakout game, a game where he's going to be one of the very best on the ground. I suspect tonight he probably was."

Matthews was also pleased with the performances of youngsters Joel Patfull, who held Brett Burton to just 13 touches and one goal, and key position prospect Mitch Clark, who kicked three goals in the absence of Bradshaw.

Another to impress was first-gamer Tom Collier, who had 17 possessions on debut.

"What he has got is a great ability with the ball in hand to make the right decision and he's a good, precise kick. It was a very good first game for him," Matthews said.

Collier, 18, captained Tasmania in the 2007 under-18 championships where he earned all-Australian honours as a running defender.