All roads lead to the MCG this Saturday, especially for Lion Noah Answerth, whose 1,781-kilometre car trip to the AFL’s colosseum 12 months ago proves football journeys really can come full circle.
As his Brisbane teammates prepared to face Collingwood last year in the AFL grand final the 25-year-old defender was driving teammate Dayne Zorko’s father, who could not fly due to a heart condition, to Melbourne.
This week, the 70-gamer will take on the Sydney Swans as Brisbane looks to end a 21-year AFL premiership drought.
“It was pretty upsetting to be sitting in the stands last year to watch it. But this year I’ll get to be out there playing,” Answerth told ABC Sport.
“It’s pretty surreal.”
“I had a shoulder injury and never thought I would actually play another AFL game, let alone playing a grand final this year.”
Injuries impacted the defender’s AFL career even before he was even drafted to the Brisbane club.
He suffered a broken back in a marking contest in his Under 18 season, and has since had 11 screws in his face, missed a whole season with a groin injury, been impacted by concussions and needed shoulder reconstructions.
It is why last year, at the end of his fifth year as a full-time professional footballer, he thought his career was at a crossroads.
“I played four games last year and three as sub … I popped my shoulder out last year and had to get surgery and I sort of was coming out of contract and I knew I’d already had a few injuries and wasn’t sure if I was going to break my way back into the AFL side.”
Dayne Zorko was stunned that Noah Answerth agreed to drive his father and uncle to Melbourne for last year’s grand final. (Getty Images: AFL Photos/Dylan Burns)
But the 20-hour road trip with his partner Macy, Zorko’s father and uncle, was not just passed by with tunes, but words of wisdom, stories and perspective.
“To be able to drive them down [to Melbourne], it was a pretty good experience for me and my partner,” Answerth, who has now signed on with the Lions until 2026, said.
“The part that shocked me was [Dayne’s dad and uncle] were so thankful that they got down there to watch the game and even though we lost, how proud [they were] with what Dayne had achieved in AFL and then to get to a grand final.
“They’ve been through everything. They’ve been through the losses, and it’s similar to my story in the sense that he’s done it the hard way, the long way, and I’ve been lucky enough to come here when the team’s been good and been top four and we played finals every year … Hearing his journey … holds me in good stead this week.”
Dayne Zorko will be Brisbane’s oldest and most experienced player when he steps on the field this Saturday, having played 276 games, despite being drafted as a mature-aged recruit as a 22-year-old. He’s still never won a premiership though.
He told ABC Sport what Answerth did for the Zorko family last year “meant a hell of a lot to him”.
“Noah just said straight away that he would love to drive my dad down … he is one of the ultimate team men,” Zorko said.
“He’s our club tradesman as well … He does all the boys’ hardwood. He’s the carpenter of the club.”
Noah Answerth’s willingness to go the extra mile — on and off the field — makes him a great teammate, according to Dayne Zorko. (Getty Images: AFL Photos/Dylan Burns)
“My dad’s been a massive influence on my football career and he was obviously a coach of mine in junior football, so for him to be able to come and watch [was great].”
“Obviously I got overlooked in three or four drafts … I agree [Answerth’s] had a lot of setbacks.Â
“I mean, he fractured his back as a 17, 18-year-old and probably thought his AFL journey wasn’t possible.”
“So yeah, we’ve had to do it in different ways. His was injury. Mine was just through lack of form … but the fact he sees me as someone that he looks up to is something I really appreciate.”
Now the pair will join each other in Brisbane’s backline on Saturday, Zorko as an All-Australian and Answerth as an underachieving half-back flanker who’s forced his way back into a stacked Brisbane line-up that’s full of belief and momentum.
Brisbane’s won 13 of their 15 games, including two epic finals comebacks in the past fortnight against the GWS Giants and Geelong Cats.
“I’m not a superstar, I’m not going to be someone who gets 30 every week and kick goals, but my job is other parts of the game,” Answerth said.
“I’ve never been someone who’s been about stats and kicks and handballs. But I like to tackle and be up in a contest.”
“We’ve had enough experience and heartbreak to understand what we need to do to hopefully beat Sydney, and you know it’s going to be a hard game obviously, but those moments and the resilience we’ve had including, you know, a lot of boys have moved away from home to come [to Brisbane] and play.”
“Just to know that I’m going to be a grand finalist, but to be a premiership player, I think more for this club than anything, is something I’ve always strived to be.”
