BRANDON Starcevich has been given the all clear to resume training, but the Brisbane premiership defender remains up to two months away from playing again after his latest concussion.
The premiership defender has been laid up since his team's round one win over Sydney on March 15, where he suffered a third concussion inside eight months.
Starcevich jogged on Tuesday and was expected to do another session on Thursday.
Lions coach Chris Fagan said the 25-year-old had been largely idle in the past fortnight while he went through a raft of medical tests, which had all come back positive.
The next step is to build Starcevich back up physically, following the necessary period of inactivity after the Swans game.
"A month of sitting on the couch and not doing much is not the greatest thing for an elite athlete," Fagan said.
"We've got to look after his physical build-up now and not let him play until we know he's right to go from a physical sense.
"He's been given the all-clear, so now it's a matter of building him up and that might take quite some time, somewhere between six and eight weeks.
"I wouldn't expect to see him back any time soon."
Starcevich suffered concussions against Adelaide last July, then again against the Crows during the pre-season before the most recent knock in round one.
The resolute defender, who was Brisbane's joint Finals Player of the Year in 2024, is a free agent at season's end.
His possible return could complicate selection in a defensive unit that is getting stronger by the month.
Tom Doedee played his first VFL match in 12 months at the weekend after overcoming a third knee reconstruction and is expected to push for senior selection shortly, while Keidean Coleman, also on the comeback from a ruptured ACL, is listed as three to five weeks from returning.
