Lions stalwart Dayne Zorko intent on matching the efforts of Brisbane’s triple premiership-winning heroes

Milestone man Dayne Zorko wants to emulate the feats of Brisbane’s triple-premiership heroes before he retires. Zorko, 36, will make his 300th AFL appearance on Sunday night when the Lions host Hawthorn at the Gabba. And the veteran is showing no signs of slowing down following Wednesday’s announcement that he had signed a new one-year deal with Brisbane that will extend his AFL career to a 16th season. “The club’s been so flexible, and communication between both of us has been enormous in this period,” Zorko said.“If they see fit that I can continue to contribute to the team for as long as I possibly can, then that would be great. “We certainly won’t put a time on when it’s going to end. I think it will naturally just happen.” However, Zorko would prefer retirement to “happen” after more premiership success. Despite finally getting the weight of winning a flag off his shoulders last season, the former Brisbane captain is eyeing off more premiership glory in the hope of matching the efforts of the star-studded Lions team that won three in a row from 2001 to 2003. “That’s why, ultimately, I’m still playing. We’re in a team right now that’s fighting for that, and it’s very hard to do,” Zorko said. “We’ve constantly come back year-on-year and improved. This is another challenge for us as a group, and we’re really excited by that.” The Lions can secure a top-four spot by beating Hawthorn this weekend, but a loss to the Hawks will result in Brisbane having to run a sudden-death path for the entire finals series, as was the case last season. “Last year, we were able to come from fifth and do it (win the premiership), but we understand having (previously) finished in the top four, just how important that is also,” Zorko said. “It can give players extra time to get ready and recover, so it’s a big week for us this week, but there’s a real calmness among the group knowing that we did it last year. “We know when we can put it all together consistently for four quarters, it’s really difficult for opposition teams. Our mindset is now making sure that we can constantly do that.” Provided all goes to plan for Zorko next season, he will eclipse triple-premiership winner Simon Black (322) as having played the most games for Brisbane. The pair were teammates at the Lions for the final two years of Black’s career. “He came in a very energetic, very talkative, boisterous young fellow but with an amazing skill set,” Black said of Zorko. “What he’s been able to do from working hard has been quite remarkable. “He was very ambitious. You could tell that from the early days, very cheeky but loveable at the same time. “His great strength that he gives to his football teams is the energy that he provides to his teammates. It is enormous and has a really invaluable impact on the group over the course of the season.”