WHEN Dayne Zorko make his debut against Collingwood two weeks ago, there was more intrigue surrounding his name than his ability to play.
'Zorko the Great', 'Zohan', and any number of magician references followed the 23-year-old Brisbane Lion.
But in just two senior appearances he has quickly turned attention to his on-field exploits.
Zorko came on as a substitute against the Magpies in round seven and impressed with his spark around the ball, and backed up with a solid 18-disposal, six tackle performance against Greater Western Sydney on Sunday.
He is not your normal footballer though.
Zorko was not drafted straight out of school, he is not big (175cm) and he is not that fussed about how many times he touches the ball.
After dominating for Broadbeach in the AFLQ for the past four seasons, Gold Coast snapped him up as a priority zone selection before trading him to the Lions.
Now Zorko is living his dream.
After coming to the Lions and impressing early in the pre-season, the powerful midfielder hit a hurdle with a nagging groin problem.
He went to Perth to have it "released" and missed a couple of months of training.
"It was definitely challenging. I hadn't really had an injury at all in my career until then so it was a little frustrating but I had the full support of everyone here and it's very rewarding now that I'm playing," Zorko said.
"I was just thinking the other day if it had happened at Broadbeach I might not have been able to play this year at all.
"It's definitely comforting - you've got the best guys in Queensland working on you every day."
Resuming a full workload in late March, he regained fitness quickly and after two strong showings in the reserves was called up against Collingwood.
"I wasn't expecting it to be honest," he said.
"I got the phone call and was absolutely rapt, I was a bit shocked and didn't quite know what to say. I was very grateful, especially against Collingwood."
Zorko took full advantage of getting a full game against Greater Western Sydney at the weekend and revelled in his role, switching between the midfield and forward line.
He came to the Lions with a reputation for hard work, and listening to what he measures a good performance against is proof of that.
"A lot of guys mark themselves on touches but I'm about tackling and one per cent kind of things," he said.
"Tackling, blocks and chasing and pressure is my go. I set myself goals with tackles that I want to achieve. That's what I measure my game on."
Michael Whiting covers Brisbane Lions news for AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_mikewhiting
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL
