Dayne Zorko has laughed off speculation he may hang up the boots at season’s end, declaring a grand final triumph for the Brisbane Lions would not be his swan song.
The veteran midfielder will celebrate his 250th AFL game when his side takes on Collingwood on Saturday, in the club’s bid to hoist the silverware for the first time in two decades.
Dayne Zorko has laughed off suggestions he may retire at season’s end.Credit: Getty
Off contract at the end of the year, the 34-year-old chuckled when asked by media on Thursday whether a victory may entice him to end his playing days on a high note.
Zorko said he felt he was playing some the best football of his career, cherishing how his monumental career milestone will coincide with the game’s grandest stage and occasion.
“I’ve seen a little bit of this, reporting on this over the last 24 hours. I don’t know what that speculation is and why,” Zorko said.
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“We always seem to knock down players when they get to a certain age where they must retire. My football has been as good as it’s been over my career over the last 12 months, my body is in really good shape, there’s no reason as to why I wouldn’t continue to play next year.
“My son’s been onto it [my 250th coming in the grand final] for a long time. I’ve had a few injuries throughout the year which has had its challenges, but he worked out pretty quickly this would be the case.
“It’s such a privilege to play one game of AFL football, but to play 250 and for it to be in the occasion like the grand final, I’m forever grateful.”
While relishing the prospect of challenging the Magpies for a title that has eluded Brisbane since 2003, Zorko marvelled as he reflected on how the club had rallied from the doldrums.
Since the Lions fell in the 2004 decider, the club featured in finals football just once until 2019 – two years after Chris Fagan took over as head coach.
Zorko featured in plenty of those defeats – after debuting in 2012 – and to see the club become a powerhouse once again still has him lost for words.
“My journey’s a little bit different to most, but I guess it just makes this even more special. It’s been a journey, but the journey isn’t over yet,” he said.
“Early on we were coming from a long way back, and even the first few years under Fages we were building, but we weren’t probably getting the results we were chasing.
“You can see over the last five years the escalation of the group, how much we’ve grown and developed not only as players but people as well.
“It’s what all kids dream of doing, and to be in that position I certainly feel very honoured.”
Now, on the cusp of breaking a 20-year hoodoo, Fagan has one final selection dilemma, after defender Jack Payne underwent his final tests on Thursday to prove his fitness.
Jack Payne took part in one final test of his fitness on Thursday, with a final selection to come this evening.Credit: Getty
Payne, lauded as one of the most improved players of the season across the competition, is still fighting to return from an ankle injury that ruled him out of the preliminary final win over Carlton.
In his place, Darcy Gardiner was tasked with marking Blues star Charlie Curnow, who Zorko labelling him the “best forward in the competition”.
Brisbane will announce their side on Thursday night, after Payne trained in a bid to play.
