Brisbane veterans Daniel Rich and Jack Gunston have stood themselves down indefinitely due to concerns they feel they’re not up to playing AFL footy.
Neither will play in the AFL or VFL this weekend, with both set to undergo a mid-season training block to freshen up in the run to September.
Lions coach Chris Fagan has confirmed that neither Rich or Gunston will play for a little while.
“Both those guys aren’t going to play this week and they’re not going to play for a little while,” Fagan told a press conference on Thursday morning.
“Both lads came to me on Monday and wanted to have a chat about their football. They’re not happy with the way they’re playing at the moment, they believe their form doesn’t warrant selection.
“We had a good discussion about that… there’s obviously the option to go back to the reserves, but the best thing we can do for them to get back to playing their best footy is to give them a training block.
“For the next few weeks, that’s what they’ll be doing. Building their bodies up, building their fitness up and hopefully in a few weeks’ time they’re feeling really good.”
Fagan explained that Rich has battled numerous injuries this year while Gunston has taken extended time to recover following his games.
“What happens is they end up not training and it doesn’t help them,” he continued.
“So we want to put a circuit breaker into them. I’m not sure how long they’ll be out for or when they’ll be ready to come back.”
Fagan added he’s “very confident” the duo will come back into the side and contribute for the Lions later in the season.
Gunston has had 11 disposals across his last two games without kicking a goal.
Since joining the Lions from Hawthorn last trade period, the 31-year-old forward has kicked 11 goals in 11 games while averaging 9.7 disposals and 5.2 marks.
Rich meanwhile was substituted out of the loss to Hawthorn with 13 touches and five marks.
The rebounding defender, 33, has averaged 19.6 disposals in 2023 as well as 6.7 rebound 50s.