Dayne Zorko is officially the most prolific late-starter in AFL history.
Zorko’s 19 possessions before his hamstring injury in Saturday’s Gabba win over Fremantle earned him membership of the AFL’s 5000-Possession Club. And it’s a Gold Star membership.
He is the 168th player to have topped 5000 AFL possessions since official records began in 1965, and the oldest on debut. He was 23 years 93 days when his five-year wait to play at the highest level finally ended in 2012.
While 149 members of the 5000-Club were teenagers on debut, and a further 11 were 20, Zorko is one of only eight who debuted after their 21st birthday.
Hawthorn’s John Platten (23 years 14 days) was next oldest, followed by Carlton’s Craig Bradley (22/159), current Geelong player Isaac Smith (22/127), ex-Adelaide pair Tony McGuinness (21/329) and Mark Bickley (21/252), West Coast’s Matt Priddis (21/74) and Sydney’s Daryn Cresswell (21/51).
And while this statistical oddity will not compensate Zorko for the frustration of another injury, it does underline the enormous output of the 2007 Queensland Under-18 captain since his AFL debut in 2012 after he was overlooked in four consecutive drafts in 2007-08-09-10.
And it underlines the enormous worth of the trade via which the Lions secured Zorko from the Gold Coast Suns, who had rejected the then Broadbeach star but claimed him as a zone selection ahead of the 2011 draft with the intent of trading him up the highway to the Lions.
In a three-way deal, Brisbane sent pick #34 to Gold Coast and pick #52 to Melbourne and received Zorko and pick #47 from the Gold Coast after Melbourne sent Matthew Warnock to the Gold Coast.
That pick #47 amounted to nothing when Patrick Wearden did not play an AFL game was quickly forgotten as Zorko built a career that ranks him with the club’s very best.
Zorko, who reached 5000 possessions in his 236th game on Saturday, is the seventh Brisbane player 5000 possessions behind Marcus Ashcroft (2001), Nigel Lappin (2004, Michael Voss (2004), Simon Black (2008), Luke Power (2009) and Daniel Rich (2022).
Zorko was equal second-quickest of the Lions’ sextet, behind Black (220), equal with Voss (236) and ahead of Power (241), Lappin (242), Rich (247) and Ashcroft (256).
Lappin was the youngest at 28 years 276 days, followed by Voss (28/362), Black (29/52), Ashcroft (29/277), Power (29/246), Rich (31/285) and Zorko (34/79).
The quickest player in AFL history to 5000 possessions is 2018 Brownlow Medallist Tom Mitchell, now at Collingwood after stints at Sydney and Hawthorn. He reached this mark in 170 games. Jack Macrae (Western Bulldogs) was next quickest in 176 games, followed by 1986-94 Brownlow Medallist Greg Williams (Geelong, Sydney, Carlton), who was 178 games, and Adam Treloar (GWS, Collingwood, Western Bulldogs), who was 179 games.
Lachie Neale, Brisbane’s 2020 Brownlow Medallist who started his career at Fremantle, is sixth on this list, having reached 5000 in 187 games.
The youngest player all-time to 5000 possessions is St.Kilda’s 1997-98 Brownlow Medallist Robert Harvey (26 years 274 days), followed by Macrae (26/348), West Coast’s Andrew Gaff (27/26) and Richmond’s 2017 Brownlow Medallist Dustin Martin (27/52).
Three Fitzroy players topped 5000 possessions for the club – Garry Wilson (6709), John Murphy (5397) and Paul Roos (5350).
In chronological order, Murphy was third overall in 1977, followed by Wilson, ninth overall in 1981, and Roos, 28th overall in 1994. Wilson (190 games, 27 years 254 days) was ninth quickest and 11th youngest overall, and Murphy (27 years 189 days) was ninth youngest.
In another significant statistical moment on Saturday, Eric Hipwood kicked two goals to become the 11th Brisbane players to a double-century behind Jonathan Brown, Daniel Bradshaw, Alastair Lynch, Jason Akermanis, Roger Merrett, Michael Voss, Craig McRae, Luke Power, Zorko and Charlie Cameron.
