The go-home factor loomed large for Dan McStay, but the re-signed Brisbane Lion says his young teammates helped pave the way for his contract extension.

McStay finalised a deal that will keep him at the Gabba until the end of 2019, but only after serious deliberation of a return to his home town of Melbourne.

"I guess you've got to put everything in perspective," he said.

"There was a little temptation to go home with my family being from Melbourne, but at the end of the day I love where the club's at and I feel like having a lot of the young boys signing on gives me confidence we're heading in the right direction.

"In the end it was a pretty easy decision."

McStay has joined a growing list of young Lions to recommit since the arrival of head coach Chris Fagan and football manager David Noble.

Josh Schache was the most high-profile example, rejecting interest from Melbourne clubs, while Harris Andrews and Jarrod Berry have extended their deals well before they came out of contract.

"We're building to something special we hope," McStay said.

"There's always been that bit of go-home factor for a lot of the boys, so to see everyone buying in and signing on, it gives everyone else a little bit of confidence that the club is heading in the right direction.

"We're doing everything we can to retain our players.

"On the ladder it doesn't look great, but we feel as a young team we're improving every week."