WHEN Keidean Coleman went down with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament on the stroke of half-time of Brisbane's Opening Round loss to Carlton, a huge dent had been put in the Lions' premiership hopes.

Chris Fagan was without the most creative ball user in his team, a man who set up Brisbane attacks from the defensive half and a man who was named the club's Finals Player of the Year in 2023.

Coleman's boots were huge ones to fill.

And then Dayne Zorko stepped in.

Zorko is no stranger to playing high-end football, having won a staggering five Merrett-Murray medals as the club's best and fairest player.

The former captain was named an All-Australian in 2017 as a midfielder who could surge forward and kick goals as a half-forward.

However, his 35th birthday had already ticked by and now he was being asked to play a new role and lead the team's rebounding.

Half-back was not a totally foreign role to Zorko, having been tried there sparingly in recent years, but you could count on one hand the number of games he had spent meaningful minutes there.

What he's done this year has been nothing short of incredible – both for his team and considering his age.

Champion Data has rated Zorko as "elite" in a swathe of categories for a general defender.

His 26.1 disposals a game is in that category, as is his kick rating, metres gained and score involvements.

Zorko treats the footy like a hot potato – there's an internal clock telling him to move it on as quickly as possible once he gains possession.

His quick decision-making, coupled with his risk taking and exquisite kicking (77 per cent efficiency) has often been the springboard for Lions attacks from behind centre.

Along with co-captains Harris Andrews and Lachie Neale, Zorko would be favoured to win a sixth best and fairest at this stage and should be right in the conversation as an All-Australian.

Last week against Gold Coast – the club that traded on his draft rights in 2011 - he won his second Marcus Ashcroft Medal for the season, with his 32 disposals and match-high nine score involvements instrumental in Brisbane's eighth consecutive win.

He became the third player behind Dayne Beams (2017) and Jarryd Lyons (2021) to take the QClash best on ground award twice in one season.

Not only has Zorko been at the forefront of Brisbane's incredible turnaround in 2024, his individual season is turning out to be one for the record books.

For players aged 35 or older, Zorko is in the midst of a year bettered only by Brent Harvey (2013), Aaron Sandilands (2018) and Corey Enright (2016) under Champion Data's 'Relative Rating' scale.

This measures your performance against expectations of a player in your position at your age and has been assessed since 2010.

Out of contract at season's end, there's little doubt Zorko will play a 14th season in 2025, in what he hopes will be a premiership defence after Brisbane breaks its drought.