AFL Round 21 Wrap

Zorko joins 100-Goal Club.   By Peter Blucher 

Brisbane Lions vice-captain Dayne Zorko has produced an absolute blinder to celebrate his entry to the Queensland AFL 100-Goal Club.

Zorko earned a blistering 151 Champion Data ranking points for 27 possessions (12 contested possessions), seven marks, 12 inside 50’s, a career-best four goal assists and three goals in the Lions’ last-gasp win over Carlton at the Gabba on Saturday.

It was the second-highest Champion Date score by a Queenslander this season behind Tom Hickey’s 157 points for St.Kilda in Round 1.

The prolific midfielder, a hot favorite to win the Lions B&F this year after he was part of a four-way tie for the aware last year, kicked his three goals before halftime to become the 15^th Queenslander to kick 100 AFL goals.

He joins a list that includes Jason Dunstall (1254), Nick Riewoldt (679), Jason Akermanis (421), Kurt Tippett (316), Michael Voss (245), David Hale (217), Che Cockatoo-Collins (215), Mitch Hahn (164), Marcus Ashcroft (145), Jesse White (138), Dayne Beams (129), Charlie Dixon (124) Brad Miller (120) and Michael Osborne (109).

The all-conquoring Dunstall, who reached triple-figures in his 35^th game, was quickest ahead of Tippett (57), Riewoldt and Dixon (68), Cockatoo-Collins (73), White (95) and Beams (96).

Zorko was next quickest, kicking his 100^th goal in his 99^th game to beat Akermanis (105), Hale (115), Voss (121), Hahn (129), Miller (144), Osborne (150) and Ashcroft (172).

Riewoldt was the youngest Queenslander to 100 goals at 21 years 289 days, ahead of Dunstall (22/16), Cockatoo-Collins (23/40), Tippett (23/57), Akermanis (23/94), Voss (24/10), Beams (24/67), Hale (25/51), Dixon (25/198), Ashcroft (25/325), White (27/120) and Hahn (27/180). Zorko is No.13 at 27 years 187 days, followed by Miller (28/140) and Osborne (29/1).

Zorko’s 151-point Champion Data haul was his 13^th score of 100 points or more and gives him a season total of 2018 points at an average of 112.1

He ranks 26^th in the League on aggregate after missing one game through suspension and one for personal reasons, but is 8^th on averages behind Geelong’s Patrick Dangerfield (130.7), Melbourne’s Max Gawn (121.7), Collingwood’s Scott Pendlebury (116.4), Sydney’s Dan Hanneberry (114.3), Gold Coast’s Gary Ablett (114.1), Sydney’s Luke Parker (112.5) and Sydney’s Josh Kennedy (112.5).

Next best among Queenslanders is St.Kilda’s Nick Riewoldt with 1847 points at 97.2.

Zorko’s 27 possessions against Carlton gives him a season total of 400+ for the third year in a row. He has 425 at 23.1 possessions per game this season to lead the Queensland contingent on averages.

St.Kilda’s David Armitage heads him narrowly on aggregate, with 428 at 21.4ppg.

In other Queensland highlights from Round 21:-

• Armitage posted his 11^th Champion Data score of 100+ when he bagged 106 points for 29 possessions (13 contested possessions), seven clearances and six tackles as the Saints were hammered by Sydney.
• Riewoldt posted his 12^th Champion Data score of 100+ when he collected 108 points for 24 possessions, six marks, seven hit-outs and a goal.
• Richmond’s Shaun Hampson, fresh from signing a two-contract extension that locks him into the club until the end of 2018, earned 103 Champion Data points for 10 possessions, 29 hit-outs and a goal in the Tigers’ last-gasp loss to Geelong.
• Brisbane’s Harris Andrews, producing his best form in the latter part of the season, earned a season-high 94 Champion Data points for 10 possessions and 14 1%ers against Carlton. Teammate Daniel Merrett also had 14 1%ers.
• Brisbane’s Archie Smith, playing his third AFL game and his first in partnership with Stefan Martin, kicked his first goal and celebrated his first win.
• Hawthorn’s Brendan Whitecross had 23 possessions against North Melbourne. It was the injury-prone utility’s first 20-possession game since he had 21 possessions in the 2013 preliminary final.
• Collingwood’s Adam Oxley, playing his first AFL game since Round 11, was a multiple goal-kicker for the first time when he bagged two goals for the Pies against the Western Bulldogs playing as a defensive forward.
• Sydney’s Aliir Aliir continued his wonderful run of consistency when he picked up 17 possessions, a career-best nine marks and a career-best eight 1%ers.

In the VFL, brothers Corey and Josh Wagner were opposed to each other for the first time when Melbourne affiliate club Casey hammered North Melbourne affiliate Werribee by 105 points. Josh Wagner had 16 possessions for Casey and Corey 11 possessions and eight tackles for Werribee. Joel Tippett, a senior emergency for North last weekend, was named Werribee’s fourth best player to keep himself in selection contention.