Johnstone Injured At Training

Brisbane Lions midfielder Travis Johnstone has been ruled out of Sunday's match with Hawthorn after straining his back at training on Thursday.

Johnstone, a $302k midfielder, has had an inconsistent 2009 with two 'plus-120' scores but seven 'below-65' scores. Nevertheless the ex-Demon is still owned by over 7,000 DT coaches.

The severity of the back strain hasn't been announced by the Lions but typically doctors recommend for injuries like these a few days rest, meaning Johnstone should be okay for Round 13.

Johnstone's Lions teammate Daniel Merrett has also been ruled out Sunday's clash in Tasmania.

Merrett, a $183k defender, had been named to make an early return to the Lions side this weekend after a stint on the sidelines with an ankle injury.

But the defender, who almost 10,000 DT coaches own, pulled up sore from Thursday's training session and has been replaced in the team by Jason Roe.

All this news about Brisbane's defensive woes could potentially be very good for DT coaches with Lance Franklin or Jarryd Roughead in their sides as the Hawks prepare to take on the Lions.