He wasn’t named in the best on the weekend but Dayne Zorko was still vital on Saturday as the Lions won their third in a row to start 2019. The Lions skipper has had a tougher start to the season than expected but worked hard against the Power, collecting 25 touches, eight inside 50s and seven tackles as his side put in another impressive display.
FOR A club that has seen the MCG precious few times in recent years, there's no escaping Saturday's match against Essendon has extra significance for Brisbane. The Saturday afternoon encounter is one of just two trips to the 'Home of Football' for the Lions this season, with the second coming in round 23 against Richmond.
Captain Dayne Zorko says there's no point avoiding the fact any trip to the ground carries extra weight for Brisbane players. It's where finals are played, and more importantly, the Grand Final. For the Lions it has been a graveyard in recent history – they haven't won there since 2014 against Collingwood and have lost the past seven matches by an average of 44 points.
However, this season for Brisbane has been made for breaking losing streaks through its 3-0 start. Zorko told AFL.com.au any trip to the MCG was a special one, and his team would treat it accordingly. "When we get the opportunity to come down and play at the MCG we need to take in the surroundings … I'm not going to say prepare like a Grand Final, but it's a trial run for it," he said. "Everyone wants to play on the last Saturday in September on this ground. "It's really important we pay a little more focus to it."
Zorko said the Lions would get players with experience at winning on the ground – and there are now plenty on their list – to talk the group about it. Last year Brisbane's only trip there was a forgettable one in round four against Richmond, kicking just two goals in a 93-point thumping. Through three rounds in 2019 though, Zorko's team has put a trio of long-standing losing streaks behind it. They beat West Coast for the first time in seven years, North for the first time in five years and Saturday night's win was the first against Port Adelaide in the past six attempts.
Zorko is one of just four Lions in the current 22 to have played in the win against Collingwood five years ago, alongside Stefan Martin and then first-year players Dan McStay and Darcy Gardiner. "As a team, touch wood, I think we travel pretty well. We're very diligent," Zorko said. "The evolution of our team getting better is constantly looking at areas we can improve. "This is one ground we certainly want to nail."
HE can count himself very lucky. The Lion was charged with engaging in rough play — he hit Taylor Adams in the head after Adams disposed of the ball — and it was assessed as low impact by the match review officer. This was an act of frustration, which is to put it nicely. In reality it looked to me like a deliberate cheap shot from behind, and Zorko escaped suspension only because Adams suffered no injury. Not good enough from the Lions skipper.
The Lions are just entering a window of premiership contention, so they'll be open to carrying a couple of older players who can still contribute – as long as they're not compromising the development of younger, longer-term players.
Dayne Zorko
The captain is going as strong as ever and should be pushing for an All Australian spot, averaging 22 disposals and leading the League in pressure acts and tackles inside 50. Zorko has two years remaining on his contract. STAY
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