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Brisbane Lions recruits Brendan Fevola, left, and Amon Buchanan cool off after training on Main Beach, Noosa.

Geoff Potternk

Brendan Fevola has played 187 games and kicked 575 goals for Carlton. But it seems even the most battle-hardened players experience a bout of the nerves when finding their feet at a new club.

The Brisbane Lions big name recruit admitted his stomach was churning when he arrived at Lions HQ for the first day of pre-season on Monday.

“I got a few text messages from the boys and also my wife saying good luck on your first day at school,” Fevola said after a Lions training session at Noosa’s Main Beach on Wednesday morning.

“I did have butterflies actually. Driving to training I was a bit nervous.

“I’m here for a three-year contract and waking up to the weather this morning I said to my wife we may never go back.

“The kids love it up here too so hopefully we can start up a new life up here.”

For the majority of his career at Carlton, Fevola was clearly the dominant force in the Blues’ forward line.

He may not be king of the jungle at the Lions however, with Jonathan Brown also in the forward 50, but the 28-year-old is confident the two power forwards can function well together.

“I was crying out at Carlton for another tall forward,” Fevola insisted.

“You look over the successful teams over time like (Scott) Lucas and (Matthew) Lloyd in (Essendon’s premiership team of) 2000, and (Lance) Franklin and Jarryd Roughead (in Hawthorn’s 2008 premiership side).

“All the gun forwards usually have a partner in crime and it’s good when you know the ball may not always go through you.

“You may play on the second best defender and take advantage of that.

“Browny is genuinely a centre half forward and I’m a full forward and he and (Daniel) Bradshaw worked pretty well together.”

The last time Fevola played at the Gabba he cut a forlorn figure after Carlton lost to the Lions in the second week of this year’s finals series. But he will be cheering should the Lions repeat the dose against his former club in the much anticipated Easter Thursday clash in round two.

“I was there for about 11 years and gave them pretty good service and they looked after me well,” Fevola said.