Marcus Adams can barely run in a revealing insight into the injury that will corrupt his 2022 season.
He will almost certainly miss the entire year with lingering concussion symptoms after being placed on Brisbane’s inactive list last week.
Adams suffered delayed concussion symptoms after Brisbane defeated Carlton in Round 21 last year and did not play again in the season.
More than five months on, Brisbane captain Dayne Zorko updated fans on what he says is a scary situation.
“Yeah it looks like it, for sure,” Zorko told SEN’s Pat and Heals when asked if Adams will miss the entire season.
“I don’t think they’re putting a return date… for this season, I think he’s just going to go on the long-term injury list and try and get his head right.
“Just having conversations with him in the gym, he still comes in and lifts weights, he’s thick, he’s a big boy… he’s massive now, he’s benching double what he used to I reckon.
“But as soon as he starts that running process it spirals down really, really quickly.
“It is (scary). As he said, no one has the answers for us at the moment, but he just slowly builds and every time he finds the peak it sort of spirals down pretty quickly for him.
“Hopefully he’ll do a few things for us around the club this year, obviously non-strenuous and hopefully we can get him back.”
Adams played 35 games across the 2021 and 2022 seasons to establish himself as a key part of Chris Fagan’s setup. He’ll come out of contract at the end of the season.
Lions coach Fagan has previously indicated Adams could be facing a lengthy battle to return.
“I'm hopeful for Marcus' sake that he can make a full recovery, not from a football perspective, but just from a personal perspective,” Fagan told Fox Footy when Adams was ruled out.
“I was chatting to him tonight and his spirit seems quite good. It's one of those unknown things as to what will transpire over the next weeks or months with it, but hopefully he comes good quickly.
“He's in good hands and all the right things are being done as we speak.
“He's worried about it. He's optimistic that he'll come right, which is great, but he's also, on the other hand, fairly nervous about it and hoping that he will come right.”
Brisbane replaced Adams’ spot on the list with former Saint Darragh Joyce, who Zorko believes is necessary depth.
“He’s another key defender, obviously with Marcus going onto our (inactive) list with his concussions we needed to bolster that department,” Zorko stated.
“We’ve got Jack Payne coming through who played a couple of games for us last year, a couple of finals as well, but we just feel we’re a little light on in that department.
“So getting him has been a great addition… he’s living with Conor McKenna at the moment, there’s just a really good vibe at the club.
“Those new recruits, Josh (Dunkley), Jack (Gunston), Will (Ashcroft), Jaspa (Fletcher), they fit in seamlessly and they bring a real maturity those other guys.”
Harris Andrews, Darcy Gardiner and Payne shapes as Brisbane’s best key defensive lineup to start the season.