BEING captain could make Brisbane Lions midfielder Dayne Beams an even better player, according to his coach Chris Fagan.

The new skipper showed his class on Thursday night against the defending premiers, picking up 24 disposals in a little over three quarters.

Fagan told AFL.com.au that Beams' return against the Bulldogs was outstanding given it was his first game since round eight last season.

"I think the captaincy will lead to a rise in his performance," Fagan said.

"To me, he is a guy who seems to enjoy responsibility. We saw that a little bit last night."

The 27-year-old has played just 18 games with the Lions since being traded from Collingwood at the end of 2014.

He was equal winner of the club’s best and fairest in 2015, despite playing 16 games before shoulder and knee problems kept him sidelined for all but two games last year.

Fagan was surprised with Beams' output in his first game of 2017.

"To go in and play like that was above the expectation we had of him," Fagan said.

"We were just happy to have him back out there and were hoping he would get through the three quarters and feel pretty good about [himself]."

Fagan said the performance was an example of the new skipper's resilience.

"When you are out of the game for that long you get a little bit nervous and worried that the body is going to stand up," Fagan said.

"That has probably been a little bit of the mental battle that he has had over the last four to six weeks as he has approached that night where he is going to start playing again."

Beams will lead a midfield containing Daniel Rich, Dayne Zorko, Tom Rockliff and, when fit, Allen Christensen.

Despite his prediction, Fagan said Beams remained in the comeback phase, so there was no pressure on him to perform.

"Who knows? Next week he might play better or he might not," Fagan said.

"It's all about getting out there each week and as each game passes and his confidence comes, he will become a really important player for us."