The Roar
The Roar

AFL
Advertisement

Trash-talking Zorko will 'let our footy do the talking' in Lions rematch with Demons as Petracca firms to play

Autoplay in... 6 (Cancel)
Up Next No more videos! Playlist is empty -
Replay
Cancel
Next
7th September, 2022
0

Brisbane’s trash-talking captain Dayne Zorko is unfazed at being a target for any Melbourne retribution in Friday night’s AFL semi-final.

Zorko’s verbal abuse of Harrison Petty left the Melbourne defender in tears during the round-23 clash in Brisbane.

The Lions skipper apologised for his sledging of Petty with the caveat that he too was copping verbal abuse from Demons players.

But ahead of their MCG final, Zorko says this time he and his Lions want to let their footy do the talking.

“If there is (any ramifications) it will be in the first two minutes and then … it will wear off pretty quickly,” Zorko told SEN radio on Tuesday. “I can’t really worry about that. I’m not expecting our players to worry about that.

CLICK HERE for a seven-day free trial to watch the AFL on Kayo Sports.

“We simply have to let our football do the talking – it hasn’t done that the last few times, we’ve done it with our mouth and refused to do it with our actions.

“That is something we’re really concentrating on this week, getting the little things right and focusing on our process to get a victory.”

Advertisement

Melbourne hammered Brisbane twice this season – by 56 points in round 23 and by 64 points in round 15.

But Zorko said the Lions had studied how Sydney dismantled the Demons in a qualifying final last week.

“There’s a little template there in terms of the pressure and the intent that Sydney created on Melbourne,” he said.

“Melbourne is a team that plays four quarters and Sydney just matched them and were able to get the ball forward and bring their wave of pressure.

“Teams like Collingwood and Fremantle and the Swans, they’ve all done that for four quarters.

“We haven’t been able to do that against Melbourne, they have been far too good for us the last two times we played them.

Advertisement

“Fortunately for us we get another opportunity at it.

“It’s going to be a full MCG and there will be a lot of things against us but we’re looking forward to that and excited for that opportunity.”

Also on Tuesday night, Lions star Lachie Neale said it was time to perform against the Demons.

“I’m sick of talking about what we want to do, I just want to get out there and do it,” he told AFL360.

Neale added they had learnt their lesson in the round-23 drubbing from Melbourne.

Advertisement

“I felt like we got that balance spot-on against Richmond (in their qualifying final win) – we did speak about it before that game,” he said.

“We’d been beaten up in contested ball against Melbourne.

“We certainly wouldn’t be expecting anyone from Brisbane to be using words out there, we just want action.”

Melbourne star Christian Petracca feels he is a step closer to playing in Friday night’s AFL semi-final against Brisbane after making it through Tuesday’s training unscathed.

While the midfielder did not do any contact work, he is confident of proving his fitness for the sudden-death final at the MCG.

Petracca suffered a hairline fracture of his fibula as well as a corked calf in a collision with Lance Franklin during last week’s qualifying final loss to Sydney.

The 26-year-old trained with Melbourne’s main player group on Tuesday and while he said the leg is “pretty sore”, the club released a statement saying Petracca had proven his fitness.

Advertisement

“I had a pretty good session today … it’s not actually the hairline fracture or the chip, it’s the actual ‘corky’,” he told AFL360.

“It’s restricting underneath the knee. I trained fully today, I was out of the contact stuff – I could have done it, but didn’t need to. I have to tick off a few more targets on Thursday at our captain’s run, but it’s all going well.”

Petracca said he went to hospital early last Saturday morning for scans after feeling pins and needles in the injured leg. He has since been through intensive recovery, including time in a cryotherapy machine at extremely cold temperatures to help the calf heal.

“I knew I did something straight away … I thought it was something more significant, in terms of an actual knee injury. It was quite tough,” he said.

“I want to be out there on Friday night, 100 per cent. I don’t want to miss it for anything. I ticked off a really good box today in main training.”

Forward Bayley Fritsch, who experienced knee soreness during the warm-up of the qualifying final, has returned to full training after scans cleared him of any damage.

Fellow forward Charlie Spargo is also set to face the Lions after being cleared of any fractures to his airway following a knock to his throat.

Advertisement

© AAP

close