Dayne Zorko extends his Brisbane career in the chase for an AFL flag

A Brisbane Lions great refuses to give up on his premiership goal after signing a new deal with the club.

An AFL premiership remains the end goal for Brisbane veteran Dayne Zorko, whose career will extend into a 14th top-flight season after he signed a one-year contract extension with the Lions.

Zorko, 35, has been one of Brisbane’s best players this year after making the permanent move to the half-back line after the Lions lost Keidean Coleman to a season-ending knee injury in the first match of the their 2024 campaign.

“There were a few issues last year with just getting back to being able to run properly and getting the body going again, but this year I feel as though I’ve really capitalised on all the work I put into my body last year,” the former Lions captain said.

“It’s been like a new lease on life. My body’s pulling up really well week after week, so it’s great that the club’s rewarded me with another contract.”

However, the ultimate “reward” Zorko is chasing for his hard work, dedication and “heavy lifting’ to Brisbane’s cause since making his AFL debut in 2012 is a premiership.

“Given where this club’s at, I certainly don’t want to be missing out,” he said.

“If it’s not this year, we can have another tilt at it next year, and hopefully I can be a part of it.”

HE GOES AGAIN! 😤 https://t.co/wYGpADlusd

— Brisbane Lions (@brisbanelions) August 21, 2024

The Lions have been knocking on the door in recent years, with last season’s four-point grand final loss to Collingwood the closest Brisbane has come to winning the flag for the first time since its most recent premiership in 2003.

Again the Lions are in premiership contention this season, but after successive losses to the GWS Giants and Collingwood, the likelihood is that they will finish in the bottom half of the top eight and have to win four sudden-death finals to lift the trophy.

“The confidence is still high that our football is certainly good enough, and we can be a really dangerous team in September,” Zorko said ahead of his side’s clash with Essendon at the Gabba on Saturday night.

For the Lions to secure a top-four berth, which brings with it a double chance in the finals series, they must beat the Bombers and rely on the lowly West Coast Eagles upsetting Geelong at GMHBA Stadium.

“We’ve got a lot to work on, there’s no doubt about that, but we feel like the crux of our game is in a really good spot at the moment,” Zorko said.

Dayne Zorko will play on in search of an AFL flag. Picture: Matt Roberts/AFL Photos/via Getty Images

Lions coach Chris Fagan echoed Zorko’s sentiments but also lamented Brisbane’s failure to turn significant leads into wins against the Giants and the Magpies in the club’s past two matches.

“There was obviously disappointment that we had a couple of opportunities to put ourselves right in the running for the top four,” Fagan said.

“It appears now that’s probably going to be difficult to achieve, but there’s also another way of looking at it.

“Coming into the last two weeks, we’d won nine in a row, and we’ve just lost two games that, let’s be honest, we should have won.

“It’s not as if we’re playing bad. We created enough opportunities to beat two really good sides and we just didn’t finish it off.

“We’re disappointed but not defeated. We’re still very optimistic about ourselves and what we can do this year.”

Fagan was optimistic that midfielder Jarrod Berry would be fit to face the Bombers despite injuring his hamstring in last Saturday’s one-point loss to Collingwood.

“The scan is very positive. We won’t take any risks, but he’s a good chance to play,” he said of Berry.

Originally published as Dayne Zorko extends his Brisbane career in the chase for an AFL flag