Brisbane Lions powerhouse Jonathan Brown believes his side's clash against Collingwood on Friday night is of vital importance to the club.
Not only do the Lions need a win to kick start their season, but they will also go head-to-head against the Brisbane Broncos, who face the North Queensland Cowboys close by at Suncorp Stadium on the same night.
And with the Lions working hard both on and off the field to increase their presence in the rugby dominated city of Brisbane, Brown said it is imperative that his team puts up a good performance against the Magpies.
"It's a big game. You want to start off with a win in the first home game of the year just to get the fans excited," Brown said.
"We haven't played a Friday night game up here for seven years and I think all the guys are looking forward to the spectacle of Friday night footy."
In the past, plenty of Collingwood supporters have made the trip north to see their team take on Brisbane in sunny Queensland, but with only 3,000 tickets still available for the clash, it appears the local fans have jumped on board their team and a sellout is now expected.
Last season the Magpies defeated the Lions by 33 points in Brisbane, before Brown's team thrashed their opponents by 93 points at the MCG later in the year.
And while Brown believes the drubbing they gave the Magpies late in the season holds little relevance to this match, he is hoping his side can produce a similar performance.
"Last week we showed some good signs, but we didn't come away with the points so we have got to make sure we are more consistent over the four quarters, fix up a few areas of our game and hopefully knock over the Pies," Brown said.
"But they are a good side. They nearly made the grand final last year. They are very well coached, they make a hell of a lot of rotations and plenty happens out on the field against Collingwood."
Brown managed six goals in the Lions 16-point loss to the Eagles last week and said that he is feeling as fit as ever and looking forward to a good season.
"The big focus for me was to start the season off and running," Brown said.
"I have had a really good pre-season, I haven't missed a session since November and I am coming off playing 22 games last year."
"My main focus is to get the side back to finals action and to play as well as I can each week."