Brisbane Lions ruckman Stef Martin wants to see a packed Gabba against GWS

The sellout Gabba crowd had plenty of yellow and black in it, but with GWS heading north Lions ruckman Stef Martin hopes his home ground can again be a massive advantage.

Stefan Martin in action during the Second AFL Qualifying final between the Brisbane Lions and Richmond Tigers at the Gabba in Brisbane. Pics Adam Head

Brisbane ruckman Stef Martin has implored fans to keep the faith ahead of Saturday’s must-win clash with GWS, saying their support has lifted them to new heights in 2019.

The Lions veteran is determined to bounce back from last week’s 47-point hammering at the Gabba in which Richmond booked a preliminary final berth off the back of a strong supporter base.

Tigers fans at times drowned out the sellout crowd with “Richmond” chants and Martin is eager to see more Brisbane colours in the crowd against the Giants.

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Stefan Martin wants the Gabba to be a fortress. Pics Adam Head

“We’ll probably have a better split this weekend which will be great if it’s the case,” Martin said.

“We sort of experienced that against Geelong and it was just electric out there.

“I truly think they’re one of the big reasons we got across the line in that game, so if there’s anyone wondering whether to come (to the semi-final) or not, I’d implore Lions fans to do that.”

Brisbane will need every ounce of support to revive their season after the Tigers’ demolition derby and GWS loom a dangerous prospect.

The Giants showed no mercy and plenty of shoulder in a 58-point win over Western Bulldogs but Martin says the Lions won’t be rattled, citing their 20-point win in Round 16 as proof they can beat the Giants both on and off the ball.

“We take confidence out of that. We matched that at their own game,” Martin said.

There was plenty of support for the Tigers on Saturday. Pic: Getty Images

“Having said that, they’ve probably got some players back at this time of year they didn’t have in that game and it’s finals footy so every game is incredibly tough.

“They’ve got some tough guys who like to throw their weight around and on the finals stage they’ll probably want to replicate that but we’ve had experience dealing with that.”

Now in preparation for a fierce ruck battle with fellow veteran Shane Mumford, Martin urged his teammates to move on from the Tigers loss and focus on the task ahead.

“A lot of guys probably felt like it was their fault that we lost,” Martin said.

“You could see it in their body language those guys were pretty down on themselves.

We played well in some ways but in others they (Richmond) were too good for us, especially their efficiency and the way they moved the ball.

“So, there’s two ways to go about it — you could shy away from it or you can meet the challenge head on next week and become better for it — so as long as we take in that way, we’ll be better for it.”