Brisbane Lions captain Dayne Zorko adamant final-round loss to Richmond won’t break club’s momentum
Brisbane Lions skipper Dayne Zorko says a last-round loss to Richmond won’t halt the club’s momentum as it prepares for a return bout at the Gabba next week.
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A pumped-up Dayne Zorko is adamant Brisbane’s final round hiccup against Richmond won’t shake the Lions ahead of a historic return to September footy.
Undeterred by Sunday’s 27-point loss to the Tigers, Zorko said his side would learn from the result ahead of next week’s qualifying final at The Gabba.
“We hadn’t played them (Richmond) for 26-27 rounds, so it’s a long time not playing a side,” Zorko said at the club’s finals launch on Tuesday.
“They’ll take a lot out of it, we certainly know we have already. It’s certainly going to make for an interesting clash in a couple of weeks.”
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Despite the loss ending Brisbane’s nine-game winning streak, Zorko pointed to an improved effort after quarter-time and the previous week’s win over Geelong as proof the Lions are ideally equipped for finals.
“The past two weeks we’ve played in front of very large crowds and we’ve adapted really well to that,” Zorko said.
“That’ll only hold us in good stead for the next fortnight as well.”
Zorko’s deputy Harris Andrews says playing in front of 76,000 largely pro-Richmond supporters last week was a career-first but is determined to channel that atmosphere and the Lions’ slow start as inspiration for their coming rematch.
“I’ve certainly never played in front of a crowd quite as loud as that, so it’ll be a good learning experience for the boys,” Andrews said.
“It was frustrating for us to see Jack (Riewoldt) kick four goals in the first quarter. There wasn’t a lot Marcus (Adams) could do or the rest of us, so no doubt we’ll do as much as we can to stop that from happening again.”
Like so much of Brisbane’s media rhetoric this season, it’s all business as usual and “process-driven”, but Zorko allowed himself a quick moment to relish the build-up for his first ever finals campaign.
“It’s pretty awesome. I’m pinching myself a little bit to be honest,” he said.
“Like most of us the rise was pretty dramatic but I think there was a lot of internal belief that we could certainly do it.
“To be able to lead this team and the whole club is awesome.”
Originally published as Brisbane Lions captain Dayne Zorko adamant final-round loss to Richmond won’t break club’s momentum