Lions king Jonathan Brown received the news he was desperate to hear on Thursday but Brisbane continue to suffer the knocks with influential defender Josh Drummond undergoing more knee surgery.

While Brown gained the green light for his long-awaited AFL comeback, Drummond will be sidelined for a month and Ash McGrath will also miss Saturday night's clash with North Melbourne at the Gabba.

Drummond copped a knock on his troublesome left knee early in last weekend's match against Essendon when the Lions slumped to their seventh straight defeat of the season.

Scans revealed cartilage damage to the joint he had reconstructed last year but medics believe the meniscus tear will not affect his previous injury.

The setback is a cruel blow for the 28-year-old radarboot who has managed just two senior matches for the Lions over the past 12 months.

"The injury actually happened in the first contest of the game - within the first 30 seconds - but I was able to play out the game," Drummond said.

"It's definitely frustrating, particularly as I was just getting used to playing senior footy again and building my match fitness. I thought I was only a week or two away from playing my best footy."

Brown received a medical clearance from his surgeon, Dr Alistair Reid, on Thursday morning and will line up in Brisbane's goal square at the Gabba on Saturday night.

The inspirational captain suffered multiple facial fractures in this season's opening round after a collision with Fremantle's Luke McPharlin, sidelining him for eight weeks.

Brown will certainly be underdone against the Kangaroos after also failing to play a match in the pre-season but will bring much-needed spark and leadership to the winless Lions.

The power forward's ability to bounce back and star in previous returns, highlighted by an eight-goal rout against Essendon in 2005, also has North Melbourne coach and former teammate Brad Scott wary.

Brown holds no concerns about suffering any knocks to his face and felt confident his fitness would hold up well despite the long lay-off.

"Hopefully I can start off well on Saturday night," he said this week.

"If you can take a few grabs early and get the confidence under way you can carry that through.

"I feel good about going back out there.

"I just want to go back out there and give the guys some direction and certainly give them a target in the forward line."

Veteran midfielder Simon Black will play his 148th career match at the Gabba, setting a new all-time record of most games played at the venue, eclipsing the mark of coach Michael Voss and fellow fab-four member Nigel Lappin.

Brought to you by AAP © 2024 AAP