Brisbane’s Dayne Zorko is ready to step up in the absence of captain Tom Rockliff this Sunday afternoon at the Lions prepare for battle against a fired up North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium.

Like the Roos, the Lions suffered a disappointing first up defeat due to a lacklustre effort across four quarters.

“Collingwood brought their intensity and their pressure up for longer than we did at the start of the game. We played the first 10 minutes of the first quarter and the last quarter and you just can’t do that – definitely not in this competition”, Zorko said.

“We have to play four consistent quarters; we can’t wait for the last quarter every time or when the game is pretty much lost to start making a comeback.”

With Rockcliff out with broken ribs, Zorko said the young Lions will need to be at their best from the get go.

“Tom’s a class player; he’s obviously going to be a big loss for us.

“We’ve got a lot of kids who can come in and hopefully play a role for us, which is all you can ask them to do. But you’d love to have your captain out there every week.”

North can’t afford to be caught on the back foot again this week with Brisbane setting itself for a hot start.

“We’ve got to bring it from the first bounce and hopefully this weekend we’ll be able to do that.”

The Lions have received a boost in the lead up to the game with Claye Beams and Jono Freeman signing two-year contract extensions.

“The fact they are both Queenslanders makes it that bit sweeter for the local game, and shows the kind of talent the game in Queensland can produce. They are both very good young players and have really bright futures with our Football Club,” said Lions General Manager of Football, Dean Warren.