IT WASN'T pretty, but Dayne Zorko shaking Bernie Vince's tag on Saturday night was a big step in his development, says Brisbane coach Chris Fagan.
The 2017 All Australian was kept to just 14 touches by St Kilda's Koby Stevens in round one, continuing a worrying trend that began last season.
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And when Melbourne hard head Vince went to the three-time club champion at the opening bounce, the Lions' magician looked like he was in for another long night.
But this time things would be different.
Five talking points: Brisbane v Melbourne
After struggling to have an impact in the first half, through sheer hard work Zorko began to have more and more influence as the match wore on.
Along with Charlie Cameron and Allen Christensen, he was largely responsible for helping the Lions erase a 42-point deficit and draw level in the final quarter.
Zorko finished with 20 disposals, one goal, a match-high 11 tackles and team-high nine clearances.
"I loved the way Zorko fought off his tag tonight," Fagan said. "That's a good breakthrough game for him."
WATCH: Chris Fagan's full post-match media conference
The concerns around Zorko's ability to handle a tag started last season when Richmond's Dion Prestia kept him to 11 disposals and GWS veteran Sam Reid limited him to a paltry five.
Fagan said his message to Zorko through the week was simple.
"I talked about the fact once you become a really good player, that's the next stage, they start to tag you, and you've got to try and work your way through that because if you can't, they'll tag you all the time.
"We talked about playing to his strengths, going to some of their players, blocking for teammates and I thought he did that really well tonight.
"I thought that was a big step forward for him.
"He was really honest about it, he wanted to get better at it because it had become a bit of a trend, but tonight he bucked the trend I think."
Despite Zorko's strong showing, it wasn't enough as the Lions lost by 26 points, despite giving the Demons a huge fright in the final term.
Fagan lamented a poor first quarter, in which his team conceded five unanswered goals, but praised their ability to fight back.
"Two weeks in a row we've given teams a start," he said.
"We probably had our opportunities to go on with it but just botched some shots and made some turnovers and they made us pay.
"I'm proud of the group for their fightback, it showed lots of heart."
