Dayne Zorko is set to become the 15th player in Brisbane Football Club history to reach 3000 possessions and the third quickest.

With 2989 possessions in 140 games, Zorko needs just 11 possessions in his 141st game against North Melbourne at the Gabba on Saturday afternoon to reach a milestone that has been reserved for some of the Club’s best players all-time.

In yet another remarkable achievement for a player who did not make his AFL debut until age 23 after being overlooked in the draft four years in a row, Zorko will be quicker to 3000 than everyone except Tom Rockliff and Simon Black.

Rockliff reached this mark in 115 games, and Black 134, leaving Zorko to slip in below such luminaries as Michael Voss (147), Daniel Rich (156), Marcus Ashcroft (161), Luke Power (161), Nigel Lappin (163), Jed Adcock (167), Chris Scott (170), Jason Akermanis (172) and Shaun Hart (174).

Zorko will be the third oldest Lions player to 3000 possessions, younger only than Jonathan Brown and Tim Notting.

Zorko reached 1000 possessions in his 56th game, and was a further 41 games to 2000. Assuming he gets the 11 possessions he needs on Saturday he will be 44 games to his next big milestone.

If he can maintain anything like this rate he will be right in the frame to join not just the 4000 club but also the 5000 club, which has just five members: Black (7580), Voss (6143), Lappin (5911), Power (5884) and Ashcroft (5848).

Others ahead of Zorko are Hart (4522), Akermanis (4517), Rockliff (4075), Adcock (3705), Brown (3696), Chris Scott (3563), White (3516), Rich (3493) and Notting (3023).

In chronological order, Brisbane players to reach 3000 possessions (assuming Zorko reaches this mark this weekend) are:

Rank

Player

Rd/Yr

Games

Age

1

Marcus Ashcroft

8/97

160

25/235

2

Shaun Hart

12/00

174

29/10

3

Michael Voss

20/00

147

25/16

4

Nigel Lappin

12/01

163

24/361

5

Darryl White

GF/02

222

29/108

6

Chris Scott

2/03

170

26/337

7

Jason Akermanis

9/03

172

26/89

8

Simon Black

8/04

134

25/42

9

Luke Power

7/06

161

27/40

10

Tim Notting

20/09

207

30/298

11

Jonathan Brown

15/12

222

30/252

12

Jed Adcock

4/14

167

28/148

13

Tom Rockliff

21/14

115

24/175

14

Daniel Rich

14/17

156

27/17

15

Dayne Zorko

20/18

141

29/176

Another member of the Lions’ triple premiership era of 2001-02-03, Chris Johnson, also amassed more than 3000 possessions in his 264-game career which started at Fitzroy and moved to Brisbane via the merger.

He reached 3000 in his 222nd game in the 2004 grand final aged 28 years, 118 days.

Among 72 Brisbane players to have had 1000 possessions for the club, including Darcy Gardiner who reached this mark last weekend, Dayne Beams was the quickest in 37 games, ahead of Craig Lambert (39), Rockliff (41), Michael McLean (43), Adrian Fletcher (43) and Scott McIvor (44).

Rockliff was quickest to 2000 in 80 games, ahead of Fletcher (82), Lambert (91), Black and Rich (93) and Jack Redden 95).

Rockliff was also quickest to 4000 in 151 games, ahead of Black (178) and Voss (189).

Black was quickest among to 5000 in 220 games, ahead of Voss (236) and Power (241), and also quickest to 6000 in 266 games, ahead of Voss (283.

Black was 297 games to be the first and only player to 7000 possessions for the Club.

The quickest 1000-possession block in Club history has been Rockliff’s 35-game progression from 2000 to 3000, followed by his 36-game progression from 3000 to 4000.

Astonishingly, Beams’ 37-game charge to 1000 possessions was matched by Black and his 37-game progression from 6000 to 7000 when he was 33 and 34 years old.

Lappin was 38 games and Power 39 games in going from 4000 to 5000 in two further examples of quality players maintaining form in the latter stages of their career, while Fletcher, Rich and Rockliff were each 39 games from 1000 to 2000.

Seven Fitzroy players are credited with 3000 AFL possessions after the League starting keeping records in 1967, including games record-holder Kevin Murray, who had debuted in 1955 and only played 167 of his 333 games in the era of possessions statistics. They are:

Fitzroy - 3000 Possessions - 1967-1996

Player

Games

Poss

Garry Wilson

268

6709

John Murphy

214

5397

Paul Roos

269

5350

Warwick Irwin

229

4682

Leon Harris

186

3479

Bernie Quinlan

189

3010

Kevin Murray *

167

3048

* Kevin Murray played an additional 166 games from 1955-66 prior to the introduction of possession statistics.

For comparison purposes, Wilson, vice-captain of the Fitzroy Team of the Century and inducted in 2014 as the fourth legend in the Brisbane Lions Hall of Fame, was 46 games to 1000, 84 games to 2000, 120 games to 3000, 155 games to 4000. 190 games to 5000 and 235 games to 6000.

His fastest 1000-possession block was 35 games, going from 3000 to 4000, and from 4000 to 5000, would equal Rockliff’s Brisbane best of 35.

Wilson would rank equal 9th-fastest in terms of games played to reach 1000 possessions, but, in a tangible measurement of just how good the ever-courageous rover was, he would rank second behind Rockliff in games to 2000, 3000 and 4000 possessions, and would be quickest to 5000 and 6000.

He would be 30 games quicker than Black to 5000 and 25 games quicker than Black to 6000.

Also on Saturday, Nick Robertson will be looking for 14 possessions in his 65th game against North to become the 73rd Brisbane player to 1000 possessions.

Allen Christensen, with 944 possessions in 51 Brisbane games, is also within reach of this mark this season.