IT'S not just the big-name recruits and talented draftees giving the Brisbane Lions hope ahead of the 2018 season.

While the arrival of Luke Hodge, Charlie Cameron and No.1 NAB AFL Draft pick Cam Rayner have taken the headlines, a trio of experienced utilities are on the mend from injury.

Veteran Mitch Robinson missed the final 15 matches last season with a foot injury, while Allen Christensen missed the entire season with a fractured collarbone, and Tom Bell's dislocated ankle and fractured leg had him sidelined for the final 10 weeks.

The trio have trained the house down in the first five weeks of pre-season.

A ripped Robinson returned to training early, is running strongly and is expected to figure prominently in coach Chris Fagan's plans next season.

Christensen is another of the experienced Lions on the comeback trail, having not played a senior match since midway through 2016 after successive fractures to the collarbone.

The 26-year-old suffered a freakish blow in his one NEAFL appearance last season, cracking a metal plate that had been inserted to strengthen the collarbone.

Former Cat Allen Christensen at Brisbane Lions training. Picture: Getty Images

