For four years, Dayne Zorko was left to ponder why he was constantly overlooked by AFL scouts as he toiled away in state-league football.
Despite leading the Broadbeach Cats to endless triumphs “off his own back”, according to club president Dale Perkins, his efforts were ignored until a frank conversation with a Brisbane Lions luminary.
“We asked Leigh Matthews why don’t they pick anybody under five-10 [feet and inches] or whatever, and he said they go for six-one, six-two,” Perkins recalls.
“We mentioned it to him. You look around the AFL now and there are plenty of players under five foot eight who are super footballers.
“For four years he was our best and fairest, he was one of the best footballers around. He just pushed harder.”
Dayne Zorko will play his 300th game on Sunday.Credit: Chris Hyde/Getty
Those hard years spent striving for the AFL have culminated in one of the game’s greatest stories of resilience, as Zorko adds a 300th game to his list of accolades.
The top-flight rejection persisted until a game at a suburban Brisbane ground that made scouts finally take notice, Perkins recalls.
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“Adrian Fletcher was coaching the Lions’ reserves, we were playing them at Sherwood one day, and he asked me ‘who’s this kid?’” Perkins says.
“I said, ‘You don’t know who this is? He’s going to be the best footballer you’ll ever see.’ ”
Speaking before his milestone game against Hawthorn at the Gabba on Sunday, Zorko admits he was disappointed others didn’t share his unwavering self-belief before he was drafted.
“It was difficult because I had the self-confidence I could definitely make it at that level,” he says.
“Playing down at Broadbeach, we got the experience of playing against the Brisbane Lions reserves and the Gold Coast Suns reserves for a number of years, and I felt like I was equal to those guys.
“But what it did was it created great clarity as to what I needed to do to get better and to get to the next level. We sourced out a few people to get that information, and then we went to work on it.
“To overcome a little bit of adversity at the start of my career … to reach this milestone is something I certainly didn’t think was possible.”
While he was initially brought into the Gold Coast Suns’ fold, Zorko was traded swiftly to the Lions before making his AFL debut.
The club’s then general manager of football, Brisbane champion Marcus Ashcroft, insisted the decision was not his.
“For the record, when I was at the Suns, it wasn’t my decision,” Ashcroft laughs. “And in hindsight, it was the best decision that ever happened because now he’s an icon of Brisbane.
“He’s always been super competitive, and I think that’s what set him apart over a long period of time … [and] the game’s only gotten harder over the years.
“He’s more rounded, playing with maturity and is a great leader.”
Since 2023, the 36-year-old Zorko has been forced to shrug off questions about his retirement.
But those questions now centre on whether the Lions great could play into his 40s after the resurgent forward-turned-halfback inked a one-year contract extension this week.
Zorko poses with 300 game members Alastair Lynch, Simon Black and Marcus Ashcroft.Credit: Chris Hyde/Getty
It puts Lions great Simon Black’s 322-game record in his sights, who believed Zorko’s late career start played a role in finding peak form deep into his career.
“He’s not slowing down, is he? The way he’s playing I wouldn’t have thought next year would be his last year,” Black says.
“He’s learned the professional nature of what it takes for some time. Those demands have probably allowed him to play a bit longer in his career.”
Zorko’s milestone nearly never was, having fought through the Lions’ dark days from his 2012 debut to 2018 in which they finished no higher than 12th.
He also sought the help of acupuncturist Jim Bostock after injuries threatened to force him into retirement. Ultimately, he ended a five-year term as captain to focus on getting the best out of himself for his team.
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“I remember sitting in with [Lions list manager] Dom Ambrogio and Fages [coach Chris Fagan] and said if I can’t get my body right I don’t want to continue on past the 2023 season,” Zorko says.
“Handing over the captaincy was big, but what that enabled me to do was really look after myself and get my body back on track.”
While last year’s premiership was just reward for those sacrifices, Zorko stresses his decision to play on was fuelled by a desire to turn that period of success into a dynasty.
“That’s why I’m still playing, right?
“We certainly won’t put a time on when it’s going to end.”
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