Senior Dayne Zorko (2011-)

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"We're Not A Lachie Neale Based Midfield"

Last year Chris Fagan said Brisbane was not the "Harris Andrews Football Club" when discussing an injury to his star fullback, and on Tuesday Dayne Zorko came within a whisker of stealing his coach's line when talking about Lachie Neale.

Zorko was steadfast when asked how the Lions would cover Neale, who is set to miss eight weeks following ankle surgery on Monday.

"Everyone just goes out and plays their role," Zorko said.

"Whoever comes in for him, whoever that maybe, will fill in as much as they can.

"We're not really a Lachie Neale midfield-based team.

"Everyone that goes through there has a role to do and Lachie was no different."

Zorko said Jarrod Berry, who is overcoming an adductor strain, and Rhys Mathieson, were the front-runners to take Neale's spot.

"When you lose the Brownlow medalist you'd think your team is in a bit of trouble, but I think one thing we've shown is we haven't been reliant on Lachie in the first five rounds," Zorko said.

"Everyone goes out and executes their role ... whoever comes in will do a fantastic job."

Brisbane starts its life with Neale against premiership fancies Port Adelaide at the Gabba on Saturday night.

The Lions were beaten by another flag favourite, the Western Bulldogs, less than three weeks ago, and Zorko says they've learnt from that.

"Port Adelaide play a really controlled brand of football, they're kicking a lot more this year, marking a lot more, whereas the Dogs like to use the handpass and flick it on.

"We've had a look at them.

"We've got a few contingencies in place.

"Certainly they're the benchmark, both those sides, and Melbourne.

"We've shown our best football is good enough though."

In another exciting development, the Brisbane Lions will donate $500 for every goal they kick this weekend against Port Adelaide, which will go toward Ronald McDonald House.
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Zorko's Gabba Century

Sir Donald Bradman scored the first Test century at the Gabba. It was a magnificent 226 in November 1931 and set up a landslide Australian victory over South Africa.

The incomparable Bradman is one of 72 Test cricketers who have scored a combined 117 Gabba Test centuries. It’s the elite of the elite.

But in a football sense, the Gabba Centurions Club is much more exclusive. It has just 19 members.

On Sunday afternoon, when the Brisbane Lions host Fremantle, the Gabba will welcome a 20th football centurion in Dayne Zorko.

The Magicians Gabba run started in Round 7 2012 when he debuted for the Lions against Collingwood. He would have to wait until the following week however to sing the song, after defeating GWS by 92 points.
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Match Review: Lions skipper banned, Demon charged with rough conduct

Dayne Zorko, Brisbane Lions, has been charged with Striking Tom McDonald, Melbourne, during the third quarter of the Round 12 match between Melbourne and the Brisbane Lions, played at GIANTS Stadium on Friday, June 4, 2021.

In summary, he can accept a one-match sanction with an early plea.

Based on the available evidence, the incident was assessed as Intentional Conduct, Low Impact, High Contact. The incident was classified as a one-match sanction as a first offence. The player can accept a one-match sanction with an early plea.
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Zorko: "Geelong Will Bring It, We Need To Match It"

Brisbane skipper Dayne Zorko says he will continue to play "on the edge" as he returns from suspension for Thursday night's monster showdown with Geelong at the Gabba.

Zorko missed Saturday's 23-point win over North Melbourne after accepting a one-match ban for an off-the-ball incident with Melbourne's Tom McDonald in round 12.

Speaking on Monday, Zorko said he would not be changing the way he plays.

"Incidents like that happen in football all the time," he said.

"It was an accident, certainly wasn't any intention behind it.

"Every player wants to play on the edge, and at times you cross that line and you get found out unfortunately.

"That was the case that happened to me against Melbourne, but I'm really excited to be back."

Zorko said Brisbane had to play with an edge against Geelong, a team that humbled the Lions when they last met in last year's preliminary final.

He said every team was trying to "push their limits" and Brisbane was no different.

"There was certainly questions at the start of the year how close we played to that line and I think we've answered that at times this year.

"We know Geelong is going to bring that, they have for a number of years, and we need to match them in that area."

Brisbane is currently sitting inside the top four on percentage, but have lost all three matches to the teams above them – Melbourne, the Cats and the Western Bulldogs.

Zorko said his team had learnt a lot from its round two loss against Chris Scott's team, where Zac Bailey was controversially denied a chance to win the game late following an umpiring error.

"We learnt a lot and I thought we showed signs of that in that round two clash with them, but once again we weren't able to execute for four quarters.

"We'd like to see ourselves up contending with those teams.

"We need to beat those guys, they're above us, we need to beat them, and it's a great opportunity Thursday night."
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Not bad by Zorko getting rubbed out for a week the other week.

He now gets to play his 200th at home in a couple of weeks.

Shrewd by the Skipper.
 
A Milestone Moment for our Skipper

Dayne Zorko's journey to the AFL was not like many others.

Osteitis pubis is the modern term for what footballers used to call the old-fashioned groin injury, and as a teenager, Dayne was told by the Gold Coast Suns that his body couldn’t handle the rigors of AFL football, and that he wouldn’t get through a pre-season.

Privately the Suns also had concerns about the professionalism of the one-time bricklayer, who had captained the Queensland Under 18 side in 2007 but was overlooked in the draft four years in a row from 2007-10.

There were concerns, too, that at 175cm Zorko was too small. That despite being just 2cm shorter and 2kg heavier than North Melbourne’s 432-game AFL record-holder Brent Harvey.

So, with priority access to the then 22-year-old as part of the club’s AFL entry conditions, the Suns agreed to trade him. And an hour or so up the highway at the Gabba they found a willing buyer.

In a three-way trade between the two Queensland clubs and Melbourne, the Lions gave up selections #34 and #52 in the 2011 National Draft for Zorko and pick #47. The Suns picked up 55-game Melbourne defender Matthew Warnock and Melbourne walked away with pick #52.

Ten years on the outcomes provide not just confirmation of what a blockbuster deal it was for the Lions but a retrospective insight into the complexities of AFL list management, which make good media fodder, but are never as simple as they look in hindsight.

Statistically, Zorko, or ‘Tinker’ as he was called when he first arrived at the Gabba, has been a marvel. He’s the first player from the 2011 draft to reach 200 games, and from his original draft year of 2007, when he was overlooked for the first time, there are just 14 still playing. And only eight 200-gamers.

The turning point in Zorko’s career which sparked the Lions interest in the ever-combative Broadbeach skipper came on 18 June 2011 when, after dominating the Queensland League for four years, he played for Queensland against Western Australia at Mandurah, an hour south of Perth.

Rob Kerr, Lions list manager at the time, had traveled to Perth specifically to watch Lions rookies Niall McKeever and Joel Tippett play against a star-studded WA side.

But after a heart-stopped six-point Queensland loss Kerr returned home most impressed by Zorko’s 30 possessions, eight tackles, and four goals (three in the last quarter) to win the Zane Taylor Medal as his team’s best player.

Suddenly, the Benowa High School graduate and one-time bricklayer, whose father had moved from Yugoslavia to Melbourne before settling on the Gold Coast, was a wanted man. And when the complicated trade was finalised in the last hours of the trade period he was an AFL player.

If there was a moment that sparked Zorko’s brilliant 2011 campaign it may have been some tough love from Broadbeach coach Matt Angus after Zorko had rejected a string of interstate offers.

Angus, a standout junior footballer and tennis player from Perth who took over as Broadbeach coach in 2011, told Zorko he had the skills to play in the AFL, but described his professionalism as “nowhere near that”.

For a decade since then he has proved it is never too late to change, claiming a position among the Lions’ all-time greats in a career full of statistical and personal highlights.
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AFL: Brisbane skipper Dayne Zorko grateful for faith shown in him by the Lions after the Suns’ lack of interest

The irony isn’t lost on Gold Coast product Dayne Zorko that he will make his 200th AFL appearance on Saturday night at Carrara’s Metricon Stadium, the home of the club that didn’t want him.

Under normal circumstances, proud Brisbane skipper Zorko would have led the Lions out at the Gabba this weekend for their home match against St Kilda.

However, with the Covid-19 pandemic continuing to play havoc with the scheduling, the match will instead take place on the Gold Coast, where Zorko first dreamt of playing in the AFL.

“Although we’re not playing at the Gabba this weekend, to still have it in Queensland at the Gold Coast, which obviously holds sentimental value to me, it’s pretty special,” Zorko said.

Had things worked out differently, Zorko might have been a 10-year Suns servant rather than a decade-long Lions player.

But in a poor piece of judgment, the Suns doubted the fitness, stature and attitude of a player who was overlooked in the national draft four years in succession from 2007 to 2010.

Having priority access to Zorko’s services as part of their entry to the AFL, the Suns were happy to trade the Surfers Paradise junior.
And the Lions were just as happy to give him a chance by picking him in the 2011 draft as a Queensland Zone selection.

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“It could have played out differently,” Zorko said on Thursday.

“I'm so extremely grateful for what the Brisbane Lions have done for me and my family and the opportunities it has created for me.

“They’ve stuck by me for 10 years and rewarded me with the captaincy as well, which is something I’m extremely grateful for.”

Zorko’s story is also one of perseverance after being continually overlooked in the draft.

“I got turned away a number of times but I didn’t give up,” he said.”

“I continued to improve on the areas I needed to, I kept trying to grow as a person and I eventually knocked that door down enough to be rewarded with an opportunity.”

His tough road to the AFL has meant Zorko has never taken anything for granted in his top-flight career despite initially doubting the advice of Lions great Simon Black.

“I remember Simon Black saying to me early on ‘the hard work starts now once you get on the list, it’s easy to get on to the list’,” Zorko said.

“I disagreed with him … but he was spot on with that statement. It’s very hard to stay in the AFL system, and you need to constantly perform and keep that continuity.”

The Lions have also learnt to “constantly perform” under coach Chris Fagan, with Zorko saying his in-form side was ready to win the flag.
“We’ve made some serious steps towards the ultimate goal of winning a premiership,” he said.

“We firmly believe we’ve got a really strong side at the moment that can do that and challenge that.”
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Dear Dayne...

Chris Fagan penciled an open letter to our skipper ahead of his 200th game.

“Forged Through Adversity” is the motto of the famous US Navy Seals. It could also be the motto for our Captain Dayne Zorko who plays his 200th game versus the Saints tonight.

It’s hard to believe that someone of his talent didn’t play his first AFL game until he was 23 years of age. Despite being a highly decorated Under 18 player for QLD he was overlooked at 4 National Drafts.

“Too small”, “Not quick enough”, “Not fit enough” were the main reasons given for his non-selection. Yet through all this rejection he still believed he could make it and set about making himself fitter, stronger and faster.

A best-on-ground performance in a state game v Western Australia in 2011 stirred the interest of Lions recruiters and the rest is history. He is now a four-time club champion, an All Australian and is into his 4thseason as our Captain.

Zorks always thought he could make it and it is this optimism and resilience that has made him the ideal Captain of the Lions as we’ve grown as a club in the past few years.

When Dayne Beams stepped down as Captain for personal reasons in the middle of the 2018 season we were at a low ebb. Nine games into the season we were yet to record a victory and things were tough for our incredibly talented but very young playing squad.

We needed a Captain with energy and positivity and a belief that we could turn things around. Dayne was the obvious choice, he’d done it himself as a player and here was his chance to instil the same determination and resolve into our playing group.

The mood of our group changed almost immediately – we won the next week against the Hawks and went on to record another four victories and a number of narrow losses in the 2nd half of the season.

The optimism and belief we had been searching for was alive within the group and the man leading the charge was our Captain.

To this day he continues to drive the standards and expectations and he has played an enormous role in our improvement these past few years. Most importantly he leads by example on the field.

He is tough, courageous, skilful and passionate. He never takes a backwards step and knows how to lift his performance when the team needs him.

His consistency is elite and his defensive work rate to tackle and pressure the opposition is peerless in the AFL. His leadership skills have grown and we’ve all gotten to enjoy his upbeat personality and sense of humour.

I feel so fortunate that our pathways have collided. He has made my job as coach so much easier because he always believed that we could turn things around from the tough spot we were in three years ago.

He’s convinced all the other boys to follow him and that’s what great leaders do.

Zorks is small in stature but he is a Giant of our club as a player, teammate, leader and ambassador. His 200th game and high status within the industry has been well and truly earned. He is a Lion by heart and a Lion by nature.

Well played skipper!!!!
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Zorko the QClash King

Zorko’s 18th consecutive Q-Clash appearance after he watched the first three saw him take the Q-Clash record from the Suns’ 17-timer Jarrod Harbrow.

Zorko’s 21 possessions took him to 384 in Q-Clash football – ahead of ex-Lions captain Tom Rockliff (371) in the all-time Q-Clash record books. And his 20th Q-Clash goal on Saturday sees him second behind ex-Suns forward Tom Lynch.

He is also the ‘winningest’ player in Q-Clash history, having enjoyed 13 wins to sit one ahead of current teammates Daniel Rich, who played his 17th Q-Clash on Saturday to equal Harbrow in second spot overall, and Ryan Lester.
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Five Lions Named in All Australian Squad

Charlie Cameron, Jarryd Lyons, Hugh McCluggage, Daniel Rich and Dayne Zorko were all named among the 40-person strong squad on Monday.

Zorko and Cameron have earned their chance to collect a second All Australian blazer.

The skipper has led a resurgent Lions in recent weeks as they hunted for a Top 4 finish, averaging 29 disposals a game over the past four weeks.

Collecting an impressive 29 disposals, 8 tackles, 1 goal and 1 goal assist in Saturday’s 38-point win over West Coast, Zorko’s efforts were the icing on the cake of a season that could see him rewarded with his second All Australia honour.
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