Pride on the line for Lions ahead of Demons AFLW clash

Shannon Campbell is hoping Brisbane will find some of their best form when they take on Melbourne. (Dave Hunt/AAP PHOTOS)

All eyes are on Brisbane to prove their mettle when they host Melbourne in their long-awaited grand-final rematch.

More than a year since walking away with the premiership flag, the Demons have cruised to the top of the ladder with the only hiccup coming against competition heavyweights Adelaide.

The Lions, on the other hand, have shrunk in size.

Losing Emily Bates, Greta Bodey and Jesse Wardlaw in the offseason, Brisbane have been found out by lower-ranked sides as Craig Starcevich attempted to fill in the gaps.

Brisbane head into their Melbourne clash fresh from an out-of-character loss to ninth-placed St Kilda.

The 21-point defeat not only starved the Lions of a shot at the $1m McClelland Trophy now won by Melbourne, it also put the side's top-four aspirations in jeopardy.

Should Brisbane lose the Saturday night match it will be sudden death throughout the finals series.

Bolstered by wins over fellow flag-chasers Adelaide and North Melbourne, key defender Shannon Campbell confessed her side began to get complacent once a top-four finish was in sight.

"Obviously, we went in there hoping that we'd get a win and that would set us up for a top-four finish," Campbell said.

"We may have gone into that game maybe just not expecting St Kilda to bring as much as they did.

"As a group, after the game, we spoke about how we let ourselves down.

"But it always seems to be when we're playing against those teams like Adelaide and Melbourne, we bring our best so we just need to find that again this weekend."

Midfielders Sophie Conway (hamstring) and Cathy Svarc (illness) will return from injury to bring the Lions back to full-strength, while Melbourne are sweating on the fitness of Tayla Harris (hamstring).

Adelaide and North Melbourne will be looking to solidify second and third place respectively when they take on 16th-placed West Coast and 18th-ranked Western Bulldogs.

Elsewhere on Saturday, Port Adelaide are aiming to send off retiring trailblazer Erin Phillips with a win over GWS while Geelong meet Hawthorn.

The top eight will be decided on Sunday with Carlton taking on ninth-placed St Kilda, Collingwood battling Richmond and Fremantle meeting eighth-placed Sydney.

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