Brisbane Lions captain Dayne Zorko has publicly addressed his sledge at Melbourne’s Harrison Petty ground, suggesting he was not provoked.
The AFL community was left in shock last Friday when the Demons’ win over Brisbane was marred by harrowing scenes of Petty in tears at three-quarter time.
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Zorko said sorry to Petty right after the game and the Demons defenseman accepted his apology.
The Lions have not punished Zorko, with both Melbourne and Brisbane looking to move on from the ugly incident.
Speaking on Melbourne radio on Wednesday, the 34-year-old reiterated his apology, albeit with a caveat.
“I apologized to Harrison at the final siren and obviously that apology still stands,” Zorko told SEN. The Run Home.
“My remorse still remains. If I could take it back, there’s no doubt I would.”
Zorko acknowledged that he crossed the line, but explained that the game between the Demons and Lions was a fiery encounter, stating that his sled aimed at Petty “was not unprovoked.”
“I just wanted to say it was an intense game,” he continued.
“From the first bounce it was back and forth from both sides of the fence. Players all over the field stepped up to the line the whole game, and I admit I definitely crossed it.
“I think it’s really important for Lions fans and fans in general to understand that it wasn’t just an unprovoked sled, and it wasn’t isolated. Like I said, it was back and forth for most of the game, and I regretfully accept that I overstepped the mark.
“I thought it was very important that he came out and said something and that people understood it.
“In the heat of battle, words are said and for me, in this case, I exceeded the mark.
“Moving forward, I have to learn from this and potentially the whole industry can learn from this and understand that sledding can have serious effects on people and we have to be extremely careful in how we do it.”
Zorko acknowledged he needed to “do better”, adding the saga should serve as a lesson to the wider AFL community.
“I’m not sure sledding will ever come out of the game … but it’s important that you don’t cross the line like I did,” he said.
“Moving forward I just need to get better and use this as an educational piece for me.
“The past few days have not been easy for me and my family, which I am very sorry for, but obviously understanding that on the other side of the fence would have been difficult for Harrison Petty and his family as well.”
There have been persistent calls for Zorko to be stripped of the Lions captaincy, while the football world has been surprised he has not been penalized by Brisbane or the AFL.
Commentators urged the AFL to suspend Zorko, but he is free to play in Brisbane’s elimination final against Richmond next Thursday.
“I’ve had very long talks with the club’s hierarchy and they’ve heard both sides of the story,” Zorko said.
“The captaincy is something that is very important to me and like every year it will be decided during the pre-season.
“As a leader and a player I just need to be better. The last few days have not been easy for me and my family, for which I feel very remorseful, but I understand that it was very painful for “Harrison Petty and his family, for which I am sorry.
“As far as I know, I didn’t think the AFL would get involved. I apologized after the game and both clubs were happy with where things were.
“I think with both parties and the AFLPA there have been a lot of apologies. Harrison accepted my apology after the game and I know through various channels there have been further discussions.”
Zorko’s attempt to justify his sledge didn’t go down too well with AFL pundits and fans.
Sportswriter Oliver Caffrey tweeted: “Not sure why Dayne Zorko waited until Wednesday evening to talk about last Friday night’s incident, especially if it was going to be as unconvincing as this. Had to pass the weekend or it didn’t happen at all.”
Dan Brettig of The Age said: “After several days to think about it, Zorko goes to the defense of ‘both sides’, right.”
Reporter James Massola added: “This has to be the weakest apology I’ve ever read for Dayne Zorko. Sorry, but ‘it wasn’t just unprovoked sledding.’
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