Lions set to take next step – Zorko

BRISBANE skipper Dayne Zorko says the Lions can’t waste a top-two spot for the second straight year following last season’s finals wipe-out.

The Lions are again in a great position to push for their first premiership since 2003 but last year’s straight-sets exit remains strong in the memory.

Having finished second on the 2019 ladder behind minor premier Geelong, the Lions lost successive Gabba finals to Richmond and the GWS Giants to be knocked out.

As disappointing as it was for the Lions to waste all their hard work from the regular season, Zorko told SEN Track that playing finals football had been “fantastic” for his team.

“We’ve certainly got our work cut out for us (this year), but it’s a great opportunity for us – it really is,” Zorko (right) said. “To play and get two finals into our players last year was absolutely fantastic.

“We’ve had that experience, now we need to go on with it.”

And the means the Lions getting the better of at least one or possibly two of their nemesis teams – Geelong and Richmond.

“We understand that if we want to go all the way we need to beat both of those sides or at one point we might need to play both of those sides, so we’re really excited by that challenge,” Zorko said.

To do that, the captain said the Lions needed to produce compelling four-quarter performances. “I don’t think there’s been a game (this season) where we’ve been able to have ascendancy over the whole lot, or have solid control over our game plan and that’s something that we’ve been striving for,” he said.

“We know we’ve tinkered a few things … Now we need to go out and make sure we can execute that, and stay on for the full four quarters because we know the pressure’s going to rise, and the opposition and the quality, they certainly rise.”