Brisbane’s Dayne Zorko has provided an update on the hamstring issue that forced him off early in Thursday night’s win over the Western Bulldogs.
The Lions captain had been sidelined for just under three weeks, but just one match, due to the hamstring he tore against St Kilda in Round 13.
In the early stages of the clash with the Bulldogs, he attempted to mark a low ball and felt some awareness in the area, prompting the club’s medical staff to make a change.
Zorko made way for Jaxon Prior, but it mattered little to the end result as the Lions dominated after quarter-time to win by 41 points.
The 33-year-old says scans on Friday morning will determine just how much damage he has done.
“I just sort of dived for a catch which we certainly didn’t train for,” he said on SENQ’s Pat & Heals.
“With the speed and the reaction I did it at, there was a little bit of awareness there. It was in the exact same spot that tore a couple of weeks ago.
“When I was assessed, all my power and strength was there, the faint scarring was still there a little bit.
“We decided not to risk it, especially early on in the game. We had the medi-sub there in Jaxon Prior who had warmed up with the team so he was ready to go and we thought it was best if I didn’t go back out there.
“There is a possibility that in a week or two weeks’ time I could be right to go. If we went back out there and did more damage then it could have been a much longer stint on the sidelines.
“I’ve woken up this morning and there’s no awareness, there’s no pain as such, compared to what there was last time.
“I’ll go and get a scan this morning and we’ll assess how it looks in comparison to la couple of weeks ago. It was more precaution than anything.”
Fellow veteran Daniel Rich also succumbed to a hamstring complaint during the victory with Zorko explaining why it was a wise move to bring both ageing players off the ground.
“His was a little bit different,” Zorko said of Rich.
“Mine’s a little bit lower, I believe his might be a fraction higher and more in the belly (of the hamstring).
“He just overstrided on one of his spoils and felt it grab. At our age it was safe to pull us both off and sit us on the sidelines and then have a look at how it is.
“We’ve got a 10 or 11-day break heading into Essendon next week so I think it was a wise move by the medical staff.”
Overall, Zorko was delighted with the way the team was able to defend and turn that into attack in scoring over 100 points for the first time since Round 11.
“I thought the way we attacked last night certainly helped our defence and conversely we were able to put a score on the board which we haven’t been able to do for the last few weeks,” Zorko concluded.
“That was really pleasing.”
The Lions, who are back in second position, will have to wait until Sunday, July 10 for their next match which comes against Essendon at the Gabba.
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