By Lions Media.
Dayne Zorko will be wowing fans with his bag of tricks for at least another year after signing a contract extension with the Lions.
The man commentators call “The Magician” has the chance to push his games tally for the Lions well beyond 200 over the course of the new deal and cement his position as one of the Club’s all- time greats.
It is a remarkable achievement for the Gold Coast junior who was overlooked in four National drafts before getting his start with the Lions and becoming one of the biggest stars in the AFL.
“Every single game I play for the Lions is special to me and that’s what this extension means to me, the chance to go out there with my mates and play more games for this great Club,’’ he said.
“I may not have had the traditional entry into the AFL, but the opportunity I have now to lead this great bunch of players onto the park each week, I wouldn’t trade that for anything.’’
The Lions skipper has played 194 games since making his debut as a mature aged recruit in 2012.
In that time, he has won four Merrett-Murray medals as the Lions Club Champion and was named in the 2017 All Australian side.
Since taking over the captaincy midway through the 2018 season, he has steered the Lions to back-to-back finals campaigns in 2019 and 2020 where the Club broke an 11-year drought with a qualifying final victory over Richmond.
Lions coach Chris Fagan paid tribute to Zorko’s selfless commitment to the team and said locking the 32-year-old away for at least another season was exciting news for the Club.
“This will send a buzz through the playing group,’’ he said.
“Dayne has been a terrific player and great leader for our football club.
“He is the face of our Club and a superb ambassador for the game of AFL in Queensland, and he is playing at a very high standard.
“He was one of the premier midfielders in the competition and was receiving the recognition and accolades that come with that.
“We asked him to change his role to help increase our midfield depth and he never once questioned the decision but embraced it for the good of the team.
“That type of leadership inspires players and although he may not get the possession he once did, he can always be relied on to provide the spark when we need it and the pressure he applies sets the standard and is the cornerstone of our game.’’
