Brisbane Lions coach Chris Fagan has conceded there is a void in his backline in need of filling – one which had a harsh light shone upon it in Dayne Zorko’s absence against Geelong.
The veteran was a late scratching from his side’s 17.15 (117) to 11.10 (76) defeat to the Cats on Thursday night, and it appeared to completely shift the way his teammates rallied from the back.
Zorko was only two weeks back from a calf concern and withdrawn from the grand final rematch to manage his workload. At 37, he is yet to announce any retirement intentions, and has continued to sign one-year contract extensions since 2022.
Fagan hinted managing Zorko’s work would be a regular theme.
“He just pulled up sore from the game last week, and he wasn’t feeling 100 per cent at training on Tuesday, and he wasn’t any better at the captain’s run so we decided not to risk him,” the coach explained.
“He’s 37, played 300 games, we’ve [gone] from a Sunday to Saturday to a Friday to a Thursday in the last month, and sometimes that catches up with the older guys, so we just wanted to be careful with him.
“You’ve got to be sensible.”
The 311-game star’s career has undergone a renaissance ever since his shift to halfback in 2024. His service – and willingness to attack the corridor – has made the Lions a lethal counter attacking unit.
Before injury, Zorko had averaged more than 29 touches, four inside 50s and six rebound 50s a game. While Brisbane cruised to wins against Adelaide and Essendon without him, the Cats exposed his void.
Aside from a Lions second quarter four-goal blitz – highlighted by two of Charlie Cameron’s three goals for the night, and a brilliant strike from a busy Levi Ashcroft (28 disposals) – Geelong rarely gave up the momentum.
In the first quarter alone, they had 23 inside 50s to Brisbane’s eight, with Jeremy Cameron and Bailey Smith in outrageous touch – both kicking freakish snap goals around the body to give their side a 22-point buffer. Coming out of trouble, the Lions targeted the flanks to little avail and such moves were quickly nullified.
The Lions’ only two goals both came from the rare occasions they were able to escape their half – 2025 draftee Cody Curtin, fresh off inking a contract extension to the end of 2029, found unmarked by Cam Rayner, before the latter scrambled on a loose ball to strike himself.
Their all-star midfield was kept completely quiet, with Lachie Neale (six first quarter touches) in particular hardly sighted as Geelong rival Oisin Mullin kept him under his watch.
Once Cats forward Shaun Mannagh exploded – kicking five goals along with 30 disposals and three goal assists – there was never a chance of Brisbane mounting a definitive comeback. Four goals in seven minutes early in the third quarter extinguished much of the Lions’ hope.
“We lost [Brandon] Starcevich to West Coast and [Noah] Answerth [to concussion] who are good checking defenders. Lincoln McCarthy we tried to develop to that, so the guys who had the job on him [Mannagh] tonight just didn’t get it done,” Fagan said.
“That doesn’t mean to say we can’t make those guys better. We’re asking guys like Jaspa [Fletcher] and Darcy [Wilmot] to play on him, and they’re probably more attacking halfback flankers, so they’ve got to get the balance right in when to attack and when to defend.
“That’s the reality at the moment, we have to develop somebody into that position.”
Without Zorko’s influence in generating go-forward, the Lions midfield was deprived of chances to strike, as marquee men Neale, Will Ashcroft (24 disposals) and Hugh McCluggage (16 disposals) were kept contained.
In contrast, Mannagh and Smith (two goals, 34 disposals) were at their damaging best, to announce Geelong as serious flag threats and leave the Lions in a period of self-reflection. Not that Fagan is willing to “hit the panic button”, lamenting his side’s 59 per cent kicking efficiency was more a credit to the Cats’ pressure.
“I thought a lot of our really good players didn’t play as well as they normally do. Oisin was tagging Lachie Neale, but I don’t think some of our other mids were getting tagged too closely,” Fagan said.
“They just didn’t have good nights. We’ve just won six of our last seven games … we’ve had three or four six-day turnarounds in a row, we just probably need to suck a bit of air in, get a bit of a rest and get ready to go again.”
Fagan remained hopeful Zorko, McCarthy and Jarrod Berry could return for next Sunday’s clash with the Giants.
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