Zorko back to his roots
DAYNE Zorko was once the master of all he surveyed at Kombumerri Oval, Mermaid Waters, as part of his unique football journey.
Four consecutive best-andfairest gongs at the Cats convinced some AFL scouts to finally take a punt on Zorko who was overlooked in a number of drafts because he was considered too small and too slow.
He returns to the familiar surrounds for tomorrow afternoon’s JLT Community Series pre-season clash with the Gold Coast.
And things have certainly changed for Zorko since the last time he kicked a ball in anger at Broady.
He has won the past two Lions club champion gongs and established himself in the competition’s upper echelon in 101 senior games since making his top-level debut in 2012.
“To be playing a game at Broadbeach again is pretty special not just for me but for the whole club and the whole community,” Zorko said.
“I was fortunate enough to play some good footy there.”
“The facilities have all been upgraded and it looks fantastic. A lot of good footballers have gone through Broadbeach and to have two AFL teams do battle there is a special achievement for everyone associated with the Cats.”
But his football life started well before his heroics with Broadbeach.
Zorko, 28, first set foot inside the Surfers Paradise football club when he was just four years old. His brother Beau was playing in the under-7s at the Demons and he insisted on tagging along.
“I basically cracked it because I wanted to go along with Beau and dad so they told me to jump in the car,” Zorko said.
“I had to be the mascot for a couple of years because I couldn’t play until I was six.
“In the end, I played about 250-odd games at Surfers Paradise before I went over to Broadbeach.’’
Zorko is both an Auskick and multicultural ambassador for the AFL.
Given he did not crack the AFL until he was 23, he is a perfect example that persistence, and passion can reap rewards.
“I didn’t get into the AFL the traditional way,” he said.
“I had to do it the hard way and I think people can connect with that because nothing was really handed to me … I had to earn it.”