BRISBANE Lions ruckman Archie Smith has been taken to hospital in an ambulance after stepping on a stingray.

The incident happened on the morning of New Year's Eve at Nobby Beach on the Gold Coast.

An ambulance was called and Smith was taken to hospital, but not before he posted an Instagram photo of himself on the gurney.

The 21-year-old had the stingray barb removed from his right foot and received several stitches.

He tweeted a picture of the injured foot and the barb, telling his followers "safe to say the stingray won this round".

The ruckman is hopeful of a quick return from the unfortunate injury, saying he should recover in "a couple of weeks".

Smith made an impressive debut for the Lions last season in round 19 against Port Adelaide and played a further two games in 2016.

Safe to say the stingray won this round #whataretheodds pic.twitter.com/b5xhxGzChr — Archie Smith (@ArchieSmith_) January 1, 2017