BRISBANE Lions captain Tom Rockliff has revealed he only swallowed a couple of Panadol to help him play through the pain of broken ribs during last Sunday's loss to St Kilda.

Rockliff, who suffered three broken ribs and a punctured lung in round one, didn't know he had re-broken the same bones midway through the first term against the Saints.

After popping a few painkillers, the tough nut remarkably played out the match, finishing with 26 touches and a goal.

“I just tried to take the pain away as best I could – I had a couple of Panadols," Rockliff told aflplayers.com.au.

"My main focus was to get the boys up. We started the game so well in the first quarter but let St Kilda back in.

“Once it cooled down, that was when I had the most pain. You really just want to continue to play so that it stays warm and you don’t lose that adrenaline that you’re running on.

“There was a fair bit of pain at different times, but it was something where I felt like I could get through and continue to contribute, and I think I did, in the end.”

Rockliff has copped a battering this season.

After wearing a knee to the back from Collingwood's Travis Varcoe in round one, he was then knocked out by a bump from Gold Coast defender Steven May in round five.

The 25-year-old is unsure when he will return from his latest setback, but is keen to get back on the park to lead the struggling 16th-placed Lions.

“The ribs are obviously a bit tender, but I’ll survive,” he said.

“I’ve just got to support the boys and try to lead them the best I can without being out there.

“I come down to training and sit on the sidelines and talk to the boys when they come on and off the ground.

"I try to give them pointers – things that could help them go out there and perform their role better.”

The Lions face Greater Western Sydney at Spotless Stadium on Sunday.