In just 11 weeks’ time, the Lions will have the opportunity to put all their hard work on the track over summer into practice, when they face the Western Bulldogs in their season-opener at Etihad Stadium.
The anticipation is probably even greater for second year sensation Dayne Zorko, who is fresh from an outstanding debut season in 2012.
Zorko told 5aa radio in South Australia that the countdown for Round One has already started.
“Round 1 is about 69-70 days away now, which I guess is still a fair way away,” Zorko said.
The excitement surrounding the Club has been heightened somewhat by the Lions' promising finish to 2012 (which saw the Lions win their final three matches), and their off-season addition of ready-made recruits Stefan Martin and Brent Moloney.
“Those two are going to be fantastic additions for us, along with our new draftees,” Zorko told 5aa.
“Stefan’s definitely going to help Leuey in our ruck stocks, and Beamer (Moloney) should prove a handful for opposition teams in the midfield, and might allow Daniel Rich to get free a bit more.”
The expected returns of Brent Staker and Matthew Leuenberger from long-term injuries and the continued development of the team’s young players give even further reason for optimism.
“There’s only about one or two in the rehab group at the moment, the rest are out on the track. It’s a fantastic position to be in at this time of year,” Zorko said.
“The culture at the Club is great and everyone gets along really well. Hopefully bigger and better things are just around the corner.”
“The main thing we’ve got to focus on is making the Gabba a fortress again, and really try and make it hard for teams to come up here and get the four points.”
