AFL: Lions focused on form not ladder position says Dayne Zorko
Brisbane veteran Dayne Zorko has promised the Lions won't again fall into the trap of becoming preoccupied with how high they can finish on the AFL ladder despite being in contention to win the minor premiership.
With five rounds of the regular season remaining, the second-placed Lions, on the back of four successive wins, are just two points adrift of competition leaders Collingwood, who have suffered back-to-back defeats.
If the Lions beat Gold Coast at People First Stadium on Saturday, and the Magpies lose to struggling Richmond on Sunday, Brisbane would be on top by the end of the weekend.
If both Brisbane and Collingwood win this weekend, top spot will be on the line on Saturday week when the teams meet at the MCG.
However, should the Lions lose to the Suns, Adelaide will move ahead of them with a win over Port Adelaide on Saturday night.
Dayne Zorko is focused on helping the Lions to a fifth straight win on Saturday. Picture: Albert Perez/AFL Photos via Getty Images
It's that scenario that Brisbane – who despite winning four premierships since the merger of the Bears and Fitzroy before the 1997 season have not won a minor premiership in that period – is most focused on avoiding, rather than being concerned about top spot.
'We found ourselves in a little bit of trouble earlier in the year when we started doing that,' Zorko told SENQ Breakfast.
'We looked where we were on the ladder and there was a fair bit of separation with us and Collingwood compared to the rest, and we felt as though our form started to fluctuate a little bit.'
The Lions won just two of six matches in a sub-par May-June period, which resulted in them dropping out of the top two.
'We put all that stuff aside. We just purely focus on what's important from week to week now,' said Zorko ahead of Brisbane's bid for a fifth straight win on Saturday.
'We want to try to finish up as high as we possibly can, but more importantly we want our game to still be in really good check.
'We want to keep improving and adjusting our style to make sure, heading towards that finals period, our game's in the best possible shape we can get it.'
Zorko, who has been cleared to play on Saturday after a positive outcome from scan results on a sore foot, expected the Suns to 'respond significantly' to their 61-point weekend loss to Adelaide.
'Their game's still healthy, they're in really good check,' Zorko said of the eighth-placed Suns.
'You have those losses. Collingwood beat us by a monstrous number (52 points) earlier on in the season, and you come back, you respond and you clean things up.
'I'm expecting them to do the same thing, which we'll be ready for.'
Originally published as Brisbane Lions focused on Suns, not top spot, says veteran Dayne Zorko
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Herald Sun
26 minutes ago
- Herald Sun
Jockey Martin Harley keen to resume Cool Archie partnership
Don't miss out on the headlines from Horse Racing. Followed categories will be added to My News. A rejuvenated Martin Harley is hoping that gun colt Cool Archie can put him on the map in the same way that mighty mare Winx defined the career of fellow jockey Hugh Bowman. Irish hoop Harley returned to Brisbane on Saturday night after a much-needed holiday back home where he celebrated his epic Group 1 JJ Atkins (1600m) victory on Cool Archie at Eagle Farm last month with family and friends. Of course, Harley doesn't expect the Chris and Corey Munce-trained colt to win a world-record 33 consecutive races like the legendary Winx, but he knows that a quality horse like Cool Archie comes along once in a blue moon. Winx had six different riders during her illustrious career that netted more than $26m in prizemoney before her retirement in April 2019, but she will forever be associated with Bowman and champion Sydney trainer Chris Waller. • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Harley's JJ Atkins victory – which broke a 10-year drought since his last Group 1 – was just reward for his hard work, dedication and persistence after overcoming a potentially career-threatening broken neck suffered in a sickening mid-week race fall in 2023. 'The real exciting thing about having a serious injury two years ago to even being not sure if I'd ride again and then for him to do what he did and put me back on the Group 1 map, in a way he certainly has changed my life in different avenues,' Harley said. 'A lot of jockeys can win if they get the right animal but when you stumble across a horse like that, it could be real life-changing moving forward. 'Look at the Winx story regarding Hugh Bowman. And I'm not saying it'll be like that but he could be an Everest horse and (owner) Max Whitby obviously has a slot. 'There could be serious potential going forward so I'll keep my fingers crossed and we'll take it from there. To live the dream like that would be unbelievable.' • Beriman's appeal for concussion protocols to be strengthened Whitby has declared that Cool Archie should be a shoo-in for Australian Two Year Old of the Year honours during a gala ceremony in Brisbane on August 31. 'I would definitely agree and not just because I've been riding him,' Harley said. 'For a horse to go from a maiden to a Group 1 winner in the space of two months - over all different distances and kinds of tracks - he has conquered more than any other two-year-old in Australia this year.' The father-and-son Munce partnership has said that Cool Archie would be spelled for the spring and set for next autumn's $4m Group 1 Doncaster Mile (1600m) at Randwick. It comes after a gruelling winter campaign in which the colt embarked on an incredible five-race winning streak in all conditions. Martin Harley steers Cool Archie home in the Group 1 JJ Atkins at Eagle Farm. Picture: Grant Peters / Trackside Photography • Rutledge's 'omen' win on The Irish written in the stars While Cool Archie is resting, a recharged Harley will be coming down from cloud nine to reset for the 2025-26 racing season in Brisbane which starts on Friday. Looking at the bigger picture, the affable Irishman hopes to travel interstate this spring carnival for a few feature races after proving he can handle the pressure of riding in majors. 'Sydney and Melbourne are tough, there are a lot of good jockeys there, but I'll be putting my hand up for a few rides down south if I can get them,' he said. 'You can get brought back to earth pretty quickly in this game but we showed them we can score at the top level and can get the job done in high-pressure races. 'But I'm definitely not getting too far ahead of myself. I had five Group 1 winners that came pretty quick and then it took another 10 years to crack it for my other one (in the JJ Atkins).' Jockey Martin Harley. Picture: Grant Peters / Trackside Photography • 'This isn't a novelty': Female hoops set up for success In the meantime, Harley can look back at that memorable day on June 14 when his dream of finally winning a Group 1 in Australia became reality. 'I went into the jockeys' room that day and I can honestly tell you, there wasn't one jockey who begrudged me the win,' he said. 'They were that happy for me and that made me even more proud.' Originally published as Rejuvenated Martin Harley hopes gun colt Cool Archie will define his career
West Australian
2 hours ago
- West Australian
Fremantle Dockers forward Murphy Reid rated equal best on ground by coaches during western derby
Exciting Fremantle youngster Murphy Reid would have tied for the Glendinning-Allan Medal if Justin Longmuir and Andrew McQualter were voting for the award after the western derby on Saturday. In another boost for his AFL Rising Star hopes, Reid polled eight votes for his 23 disposals, 15 score involvements and one goal. The half-forward finished third in Glendinning-Allan Medal voting behind Hayden Young and Andrew Brayshaw, but the AFL Coaches Association votes told a different story. Longmuir and McQualter were required to submit votes on a 5-4-3-2-1 basis and Reid was locked with Young on eight votes. While individual voting remains confidential, one coach gave Reid five votes and the other handed him three. Brayshaw and Michael Frederick both received six votes, while Caleb Serong and Shai Bolton had one vote each. Reid has had a wonderful first season in the AFL and is one of the favourites to win the Rising Star award. He is competing with Adelaide's Daniel Curtin and Brisbane's Levi Ashcroft for that prize. Longmuir said Reid's consistency had set him apart from the other contenders this season when speaking after the win and defender Jordan Clark said his teammate reminded him of Collingwood superstar Scott Pendlebury. 'It sounds like a bit unrealistic comparing him to Scotty Pendlebury but he is a player like that who is not blessed with super speed but he sees the game and is very sharp in his mind,' Clark told The West Australian. 'He sees the game very well and he's very clean. I think he did watch a lot of Scotty Pendlebury growing up, so he's a very classy little player. I think he's got a lovely mix that works for him. 'I don't want to use it loosely and it's probably disrespecting Scotty Pendlebury in a way because he's one of the greatest players in the game. 'But you watch him and he's in positions where you think someone shouldn't get out of that, but he does. He's not a fast bloke, he's not massively built, he's just clever and classy. I think he thinks and sees the game ahead before people see what is going to happen.' Collingwood's Nick Daicos extended his lead for the AFLCA award with a best on ground performance against Richmond. Noah Anderson is now four votes behind him after picking up eight votes in Gold Coast's win over Brisbane, Serong has dropped from third to fourth after Geelong's Bailey Smith overtook him and is now 14 votes behind Daicos with four games remaining.
Perth Now
2 hours ago
- Perth Now
More to Lions loss than referee call, say Wallabies
Wallabies lock Nick Frost won't waste time pondering countless "what if?" scenarios, saying the last-gasp loss to the British and Irish Lions shouldn't have come down to a controversial refereeing decision. The Wallabies were in a position to level the series after taking an 18-point lead in the second Test at the MCG on Saturday. But the home side were unable to seal the deal, allowing the Lions back into the game before fullback Hugo Keenan scored the match-winning try with 45 seconds left on the clock. Wallabies flanker Carlo Tizzano appeared to have been cleaned out illegally with a shoulder to the neck in the build-up, but Keenan's try stood after a review. It meant Australia suffered a 29-26 loss, with the Lions taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series ahead of the final Test in Sydney on Saturday night. Whether the last-minute try should or should not have been awarded, Frost said there was a bigger picture surrounding their defeat. "There were so many moments up until that where we could have capitalised," Frost said on Monday. "We had a pretty decent lead in that first half, and we gave away a few tries. "It doesn't always come down to the refs ... At the end of the day, you can't really rely right at the end for a decision there. "If you're relying on that, you probably haven't done enough work throughout the game." Tizzano has been accused by UK media and ex-players of staging, to try to win the penalty, but Frost defended his tough teammate and said the Wallabies didn't listen to the "outside noise". The Wallabies will have pride, and unwanted history, to play for at Accor Stadium. If they lose on Saturday, the tourists will have claimed their first three-Test series whitewash on Australian soil since 1904. While starting prop James Slipper has become just the second Wallabies player to appear in two Lions series, Frost said the third Test presented another rare opportunity for all, with the tours held only every 12 years. "There is something to lose. It's a Test match," Frost said. "There's a bit of fire in the belly from the last couple of games ... And again, like it's a Lions series, it's our last time - unless you're James Slipper - to play against them." Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt will be forced into changes after Harry Potter suffered a hamstring injury in front of his home crowd at the MCG. Dylan Pietsch or Andrew Kellaway loom as options to fill that spot, joining Max Jorgensen in the starting wing positions. "I've been there before and really feel for him," Jorgensen said of Potter. "It's really tough to see him head out of camp and stay down in Melbourne. Jorgensen agreed there was plenty of motivation for the Wallabies to fire up for the third Test. "All the boys are pretty gutted after that result. We put in such a big effort - we were leading for 79 minutes of the game," the 20-year-old said. "It's a tough pill to swallow. Everyone knows that, but obviously there's a big focus on this weekend now and winning this game this Saturday."
