Dayne Zorko knows it sounds “arrogant” but believes he “knew” his Brisbane Lions would win the AFL premiership on Saturday, while revealing the shared moment of lifting the cup was planned all along.
One year on from playing in a losing grand final without a contract for this season the 35-year-old returned to the biggest stage with a new deal already under his belt for 2025.
Yet even without the possibility of retirement he made a surprise cameo on the dais after being invited to lift the cup by coach Chris Fagan and co-captains Lachie Neale and Harris Andrews.
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Zorko skippered the Lions for five years but endured repeated finals heartache, losing in straight sets twice while falling in two preliminary finals, before giving up the captaincy ahead of the 2023 season.
But he has now achieved the ultimate success of lifting the cup as a leader by example.
“When I first went to bed last night I thought if we were lucky enough to win it today I want to find a way to get Zorks up with Harris and Lachie to hold the cup up,” Fagan said.
“He became captain pretty early in my time here. Dayne Beams was struggling a bit with injury and so on, he stepped down and really Zorks was the only person who could step up.
“His energy and enthusiasm helped the group get going. He’d been our captain up until last year. I just wanted to recognise that because he’s played a huge part in what we’ve been able to do today. It’s taken us eight years. He’s been enormous in all that.
“He was an interesting choice as a captain but I just needed a guy who could bring energy and was an optimist, it was a pretty tough time for our footy club. He brought all of that and he’s played a huge part in getting us to where we are today.”
While Fagan said it was a recent idea, Zorko said the coach promised him he would eventually lift the cup when he handed over the captaincy two years ago.
He also confirmed Fagan, Neale and Andrews had told him of the final plan to get him onto the dais before Saturday’s grand final.
“I didn’t want to do it,” Zorko told 7NEWS.
“I’m grateful that I’ve been able to help rebuild this club into what it is now. We’ve been a really good side for six years but the hurdle was that grand final.
“One thing this group’s done every year is there’s something put in front of us that we haven’t achieved, we’ve gone back the next year and got it done. This year was no exception.
“I captained four of those years that we got to finals and that was incredible. I’ll throw everything away just to have that moment of that final siren going and being a premiership winner.”
Zorko, with his voice almost gone, said it was “pretty special” to finally get over the line — yet in his mind, it was never in doubt.
“Holy moly. I just think back to our journey this year, it never went to plan really,” he said.
“But this week, getting down here early, there was just something about this group. Our preparation was spot on.
“I knew we were gonna win, which might sound an arrogant thing to say but I just had never seen us so focused before.
“The last two weeks have held us in really good stead. Fages put up on the wall ‘just believe’ and we kept believing. To get the result like that was just incredible.”
Zorko has famously managed to play 277 AFL games despite only debuting at the age of 23, having been overlooked in multiple drafts.
Even now in the twilight of his career — and especially in moments like this — that pathway can return to the front of his mind.
“I haven’t really got words for it, I guess it’s all soaking in,” Zorko said.
“But if there’s kids out there who have been overlooked in drafts, just keep plying your trade, the system’s so good, they’ll find you. Hang in there.”