Worst GPS numbers: Lions primed after getting it badly wrong

Dayne Zorko is supremely confident that the Brisbane Lions won’t dish up another poor performance this weekend.

The back-to-back reigning premiers were comprehensively beaten by the Sydney Swans in last Saturday’s Qualifying Final, going down by 53 points at a supercharged SCG.

Many expected the Lions to win given Sydney’s personnel woes, but they were well short of their best as the Swans piled on 141 points - the second largest score that Brissie have conceded since 2018.

It was an onslaught at times and veteran half-back Zorko said he and his teammates certainly felt it, as did his wife Talia watching on TV.

“It felt like they had about 25 (players) to six out there, I reckon,” two-time premiership Lion Zorko said on SENQ Breakfast.

“We talk about numbers in the frame and turning up to each contest. On the weekend, even my wife watching it on TV said, ‘it just felt like they had about 20 extras out there on the field’.

“When you’re getting that from someone who doesn’t know a lot about football you can tell that our work rate was significantly down. That’s something that we need to rectify, obviously.

“We had a really bad day, there’s no doubt about it. The energy and intent was off for us from the very start.

“I can’t imagine we’ll throw up something like that again.”

As the Swans continued to swarm, Zorko and his fellow Lions simply didn’t work hard enough.

He admits that their GPS numbers were the lowest they’d been all season and is expecting a pretty sharp recoil when they host Adelaide in a cut-throat Semi final on Saturday night.

“That’s what reaction time does, being on your toes and being ready does,” Zorko added.

“When you have intent and energy to not only be as strong in offence and the contest, but to defend, it just comes easy for you.

“We were trailing on the weekend, we weren’t working as hard as what we have in the past. Our GPS numbers were the lowest they’ve been for the year.

“In a final that’s really hard to imagine and especially from a team that’s got so much finals experience.

“But we are human and we got it wrong on the weekend.”

The Lions are no stranger to this position, however.

Last year they lost the Qualifying Final to Geelong by 38 points before rallying to beat Gold Coast and Collingwood in Semi and Preliminary Finals respectively.

They then accounted for the Cats in the Grand Final to make it two flags on the trot.

Brisbane hosts the Crows at the Gabba from 7:35pm AEST on Saturday for the chance to meet Hawthorn in an MCG prelim.

The two clubs last met in a final back in 2003 when the Lions beat the Crows by 42 points in the 2003 Semi Final at the Gabba.