STEFAN Martin required stitches to a head wound on Friday before returning to the field, as the Brisbane Lions completed their penultimate intra-club hit-out in the lead up to the NAB Challenge.

Martin was on the wrong end of a stray elbow that split his forehead open, forcing him to be stitched and taped up before resuming his place in the ruck.

"He got a couple of stitches and came back on – it was nothing major," Lions football manager Matt Francis said.

It was the only minor hiccup in an otherwise intense contest that consisted of four, 20-minute quarters at Yeronga, in Brisbane's inner south.

Most of the Lions' top personnel had a good run, with Dayne Zorko a standout, and ex-Kangaroo Ryan Bastinac also showing touches of class.

Daniel Merrett was strong at full-back as he marked boom draftee Josh Schache, who still had his moments with two goals.

Rookie ruckman Archie Smith was excellent, even taking a contested mark in defence, and will play his first senior game during the pre-season, while Ryan Lester and draftee Rhys Mathison were also prominent.

Dayne Beams (shoulder) and Tom Rockliff (hamstring tightness) watched from the sidelines.

The Lions will have one more intra-club match next week before opening their NAB Challenge series against Gold Coast on February 21.