BOOM Brisbane Lions recruit Dayne Zorko says his lack of height and not a poor attitude kept him out of the AFL until the age of 22.

Zorko has been a revelation for the Lions since making his debut in round seven against Collingwood, capping his rise with a 29-touch display against the Western Bulldogs last Saturday.

In recent weeks a number of commentators have speculated as to why the four-time Broadbeach best and fairest was not snapped up sooner, coming up with "attitude" as an answer.

But that's news to the 175cm, 76kg midfielder/small forward, who said something else halted a quicker drafting.

"I thought all of it was to do with my height," Zorko said.

"But from what I'm hearing from commentators it's been other stuff like attitude.

"I had no idea that was ever a problem. People were sending me messages saying, 'What are the commentators talking about?'. I haven't really got an answer for them. I'm not quite sure what that's about. I wouldn't have a clue.

"What I was told was it was my height and whether I was going to be fast enough. That was from scouts and recruiters."

After dominating at QAFL and NEAFL level the past four seasons, Zorko capped his rise with a breakout four-goal performance for Queensland in last year's narrow interstate loss to Western Australia.

Click here to see Dayne Zorko's career stats

He was taken with a zone selection by Gold Coast and then traded to the Brisbane Lions where he has found a home.

"I always felt I was good enough to play, I just wanted an opportunity," Zorko said.

Zorko said a huge pre-season prior to 2011 had helped take his game to another level, and upon acquiring him, Lions' National Talent Manager Rob Kerr agreed.

"His effort in that state game was one of the most competitive performances I saw from a player last year," Kerr said.

"He refused to accept defeat and very nearly dragged his team over the line.

"From then on, the recruiting team added him to our watch list and he impressed so much that he finished the season ranked inside our top 30 in our order of merit."

Zorko said playing at the lower level first had done wonders for his transition to the AFL.

"You're playing with mature bodies as a teenager and you seem to adapt to it," he said.

"So coming in as a 22, 23, 24-year-old, you've played against mature bodies and know what to expect each week. I think it's a massive advantage playing a few seasons against men and copping hits and knowing what to expect.

"Week in, week out you'd get bullied around a bit so it's only helped me out."

Michael Whiting covers Brisbane Lions news for AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_mikewhiting