The Lions got within two points of the reigning premiers during the third quarter at the weekend, but faded to lose by 48 points in Launceston.
The job gets no easier on Sunday, when they play Geelong at the Gabba.
Zorko was a shining light for the Lions, tallying 28 disposals against the Hawks, and said although rookie coach Justin Leppitsch was pleased by the team's display, there was plenty to work on.
"A couple of execution errors and a couple of bad decisions here and there, and basic fundamentals probably cost us," he said.
"Our first three quarters weren't bad. We followed instructions really well, our structures seemed to work against the best.
"Only in that last quarter it fell away and opened up. I think there's a lot of promising signs there."
Leppitsch's change in game-plan was evident from his first match in charge.
The Lions moved the ball methodically and were well set-up defensively in case of a turnover.
Zorko said to be competitive against the Cats they would need to be more composed in the forward half.
Twice last season the Lions mixed it with one of the competition's benchmarks, memorably overrunning Geelong at the Gabba with an after-the-siren goal from Ash McGrath in round 13.
Then in the final round, midfielder Ryan Lester had a snap for goal that would have given the Lions victory touched on the line right on the siren.
"I don't think we'll approach it any different from last week. Hopefully this week we can do it for four quarters instead of three," Zorko said.
"I think you always want to challenge yourself against the best. No one thinks we're going to beat them, so that's probably a bit of pressure off your shoulders as well.
"Every side is beatable on their day. It's going to be who executes best and plays their team structure better."
Twitter: @AFL_mikewhiting
