Brisbane Lions

Double blow for Brisbane ahead of Blues bout

Two senior Lions have been sidelined for the coming weeks.

Published by
Mitch Keating

Brisbane will be without senior pair Dayne Zorko and Daniel Rich for Friday night's clash with Carlton due to injury.

A hamstring strain late into Saturday's win over Fremantle has sidelined Zorko for the coming weeks, with the veteran utility set for more time out of action.

The 34-year-old has fortunately injured the opposite hamstring to the one that plagued his pre-season, with the former Lions skipper having missed the start of the home and away season due to the previous setback.

Zorko is expected to miss close to three weeks due to the hamstring strain.

A similar timeline has been set for Rich's return, with the defender sustaining a calf strain against the Dockers over the weekend.

The double injury blow will leave coach Chris Fagan without his two most senior figures for the coming rounds, a period that will commence against Carlton at Marvel Stadium on Friday night.

Zorko and Rich combine for over 500 games of AFL experience, with the Lions now set to look at their depth options from Round 8's encounter with the Blues, which will be followed by matches against Essendon and Gold Coast.

Fringe defender Noah Answerth has impressed for the Lions at VFL level in recent weeks and was handed the tactical sub role on Saturday, replacing Zorko in the match. The backman will be among several Lions in the mix for a starting role for this week's matchup.

Published by
Mitch Keating