It’s hard to imagine that Dayne Zorko is approaching just his third year in the AFL system, such is the impact he’s had across his first two seasons.

Zorko burst onto the scene as a mature-age recruit in 2012, and by season’s end the Club was forced to redefine the criteria surrounding its Rookie of the Year Award so that the bubbly Queenslander could prove a worthy recipient of the honour.

If Zorko was feeling any ‘second year blues’ in 2013, then he managed to disguise them well by playing in every senior match and finishing equal fourth in the Club Champion award.

Now, after just 38 games, the 25-year-old finds himself in the Lions’ leadership group and nearing the prime of his career.

He is also fitter and stronger than ever before having completed his third AFL pre-season, which might lend itself to more time spent in the midfield this season.  

“In my second year I probably didn’t come back in as good a shape as I would’ve liked to, so I made that a big focus of mine this year to come back in reasonable nick and really progress from there,” Zorko told LIONS TV.

“I’ll predominantly play forward this year and hopefully I’ll be able to go through the midfield a little bit more.

“Hopefully with my endurance getting a little bit better over the pre-season I can play in the midfield as well.”