Michael Voss will cut his coaching teeth at the same ground where he played his first senior match, and the symmetry is not lost on the new Brisbane Lions mentor.

He just hopes his coaching debut in the pre-season Cup against St Kilda is far cleaner than his first practice game as a teenaged Brisbane Bear.

"The first practice match I played was here at Carrara and now the first game at coach is Carrara, who would have figured some 17 years apart?" Voss said on Wednesday.

"But hopefully it won't be the same sort of outcome - it was an all-in brawl in my first intra-club.

"Peter Worsfold smacked Matty Rendell in the gob at a stoppage. Things have changed a little bit now."

Some at Carlton may not completely agree.

But Voss would rather his men take the same safety-first approach on Saturday night that he did as a Bears rookie.

"I was 16 so I grabbed the bloke beside me, who was 17 as well, and said 'let's pretend we're wrestling'.

"I stayed away from it. Matty Rendell was six-foot-a-thousand so you stay away from those guys.

"I hope the Saints aren't planning anything."

Quick to assure the visitors weren't about to upset the apple cart in Voss's first match since being appointed to replace Leigh Matthews, St Kilda coach Ross Lyon said: "No, the Saints are angels."

Voss will take a typically young team into their season-opener at Gold Coast Stadium, resting captain Jonathan Brown, full-forward Daniel Bradshaw and fullback Daniel Merrett.

With midfield leader Simon Black (broken wrist) also sidelined, there will be a big chance for the likes of No.7 draft choice Daniel Rich to shine.

"That will be good for us because we've relied on those sorts of players for a long time so it will be good to see how the others step up," Voss said.

"It will be serious like any other game. I think we're like the Saints, we have to learn how to compete and we have to learn how to win."

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