His AFL coaching career may only be four games old but Brisbane Lions mentor Michael Voss is already asking the big questions - not by design, though.

"I think we're about to test the philosophy whether ruckmen are valuable within our game because we don't have too many of them left and I think we'll have to experience that by default," Voss said.

Long term injuries to Matthew Leuenberger (knee) and Jamie Charman (ankle) have gutted the Lions' ruck stocks, forcing Voss to opt for part-timer Mitch Clark to step up against the Cats at Geelong on Sunday.

His back-up will be regular forward, 19-year-old Lachlan Henderson.

"We've got a couple of young guys coming through - some guys that are after some valuable experience in our football club," Voss said.

"Lachlan Henderson is not a ruckman but might have to spend some time there.

"There's two ways we can look at it.

"You either beat them in the air or beat them on the ground, so it just might have to be that we have to beat them on the ground rather than in the air this week."

Henderson - a former Geelong Falcon under 18s player - will hope for a happy homecoming when he runs out for his first AFL game for 2009.

He played eight matches in his debut season last year.

Apart from Henderson, James Polkinghorne, Albert Proud, Tom Collier, Scott Harding and Pearce Hanley were the other new faces in a 25-strong unveiled by Voss on Thursday night.

They were selected at the expense of Charman (ankle), veteran Tim Notting and 49-gamer Cheynee Stiller (omitted).

Proud, Collier, Harding, Polkinghorne and Hanley were named on an extended bench that will be trimmed on Friday.

The Lions elevated Irish rookie Hanley to their senior list for the second straight year ahead of Sunday's AFL clash at Skilled Stadium.

Hanley, 20, appears set to play his third AFL match after making his debut in the penultimate round of 2008.

The former Gaelic player's elevation to the senior list comes in place of West Australian draftee Kieran King who has been placed on the long-term injury list with an ankle problem.

Hanley - who hails from Ballaghadereen in County Mayo - was the 2006 Ron Barassi Medallist as best player in the Under-17 international rules series before being recruited by the Lions at the end of 2007.

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