The Gabba's first AFL day game in two years will be staged without its headline act after Lions skipper Jonathan Brown ruled himself out of his 200th match.

Brown must wait an extra six days to notch the milestone - against Essendon at Etihad Stadium - with his corked knee not up to the task of playing Adelaide on Sunday.

The inspirational power forward did his best to prove his fitness in a searching test on Saturday morning but walked off after 50 minutes declaring himself a non-starter.

Coach Michael Voss admitted there was no room for sentiment in the deflating decision to postpone Brown's 200-game celebrations.

"The milestone games are important for individual players and I think it's worthy to acknowledge it, but if he's right he's right and if he's not he's not," Voss said.

"We can't put players out there who are half-cooked because we've all seen the game and all the talk about how solid the game is from a running component.

"We want to make sure at the back end of the season that Browny's nice and healthy so we won't take any risks there."

With Brown out, little excitement remains for Brisbane fans looking forward to honouring the captain against the battling Crows in a rare afternoon game.

The 14th-placed Lions have hosted 25 straight night games at the Gabba stretching back to 2008.

While Voss hinted the warm August conditions could give Brisbane an extra advantage against the South Australians, he said it may also affect his choice of Brown's replacement in the goal square.

Youngster Aaron Cornelius looms as the most likely selection as the only key-position player on the emergency list but Voss said he could play in-form utility Brent Staker up front and choose Tom Collier or Travis Johnstone for more run.

The 11th-placed Crows appear out of finals contention but their decision to drop young forward Taylor Walker suggests they still hold playoff hopes.

Voss expects Adelaide to return to the form they showed in an upset over Geelong a month ago after running the Western Bulldogs to the wire last Sunday.

"They had a very big win against Geelong not that long ago so their capability is quite clearly there," he said.

"I know they got rolled against Richmond (a fortnight ago) but they have been very, very competitive and I expect nothing different."

In good news for Brisbane, Simon Black, the Lions' likely new captain, will play after overcoming off a virus.

Brought to you by AAP © 2024 AAP