One half of Brisbane's rucking romance, Darcy Fort is two wins away from a second premiership but still doesn't feel like an AFL regular.

Last year's grand final was one of just three games Fort played for the Lions last season.

His injection came after a preliminary final shoulder injury to fellow big Oscar McInerney, whose selflessness and joy for his teammate a week later became one of the enduring stories of their triumph.

Arriving from Geelong in 2022, Fort has always been the back-up.

But with McInerney struggling with injury, Saturday's semi-final defeat of Gold Coast was his 19th AFL game this season.

It's a career high for the 32-year-old, who's collected 55 AFL appearances across six seasons.

"My mindset these last few months has still just been to get myself ready and if I

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