AFL Finals 2023: All the latest Brisbane Lions team news as Dayne Zorko confirms he wants to play on

Ahead of the club’s preliminary final against the Blues, Dayne Zorko has declared his intentions for 2024. But are the Lions on the same page? He speaks on his future.

Dayne Zorko has signalled his desire to play on beyond the end of this season with the ball now seemingly in Brisbane’s court as to whether or not that happens.

On the same day the club announced it had extended young guns Darcy Wilmot and Kai Lohmann for another two seasons, Zorko was asked whether he had sat down to discuss his future ahead of his current deal expiring in a few short weeks.

“Yes and no,” he said of contract talks with the club.

“Obviously I’d love to play for as long as possible and the team is in a really good position.

“I got into the system a little bit later as Fages (coach Chris Fagan) tells me, so hopefully it means at the back end I can play a bit more.”

Dayne Zorko at Brisbane training this week. Picture: Richard Walker

The 34-year-old was an unwanted Queensland Zone Selection to the Gold Coast Suns and on-traded to the Lions ahead of the 2012 season.

Now in his 12th year, the man once labelled ‘The Magician’ for his crafty work inside 50 has evolved his game multiple times.

From star midfield ball-winner to now one of the best utilities in the game, Zorko has gone on to craft an incredible career at the Lions.

A five-time club best and fairest winner and two-time club leading goalkicker, Zorko earned All-Australian honours in 2017 and captained the club from 2018 to 2022.

In recent seasons, he has battled various soft tissue injuries including a calf strain earlier this year. But after returning for the round 17 clash against West Coast, Zorko has found form at the perfect time and is poised to play a major role in Saturday’s preliminary final against Carlton.

“I guess for me it’s just understanding my role and doing what is needed for the team and understanding moments in games – when I can impact and when I don’t need to impact,” Zorko said.

“That’s something I’ve learned over the last five or six years under Fages.”

The Lions veteran wants to play on in 2024. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos

If Brisbane knocks off Carlton on Saturday, Zorko would celebrate his 250th AFL game in the grand final.

“I don’t want to look too far ahead but it would obviously be incredible,” he said.

“To play one game of AFL is a massive achievement so to reach a milestone like that, when not a lot of players get the opportunity, it’s going to be pretty special if it happens this year.

“And we’ll try our absolute hardest to get there this weekend.”

Zorko handed over the captaincy to Lachie Neale and Harris Andrews this season and though he remains a vital leader in the locker room, he said the step back had helped at the late stage of his career.

“It has a little bit yeah,” he said.

“It’s been great obviously to have led the team over the past few years … the way Lachie and Harris have done it their way has been awesome as well. It speaks for itself, we’re in another preliminary final.

“It’s certainly helped me just worry about myself and get my body right and hopefully put in the best performance for the team every week.”