Demons star Max Gawn never wants to hear another sled like Dayne Zorko’s remark to Harrison Petty

Demons captain Max Gawn has revealed that Lions Luge skipper Dayne Zorko targeting Harrison Petty was so vicious he never wants to hear anything like that during a game again.

Without revealing exactly what was said, Gawn, 30, hopes it can be a ‘line in the sand’ for the AFL.

“Those kinds of comments can stay away from football,” said the 2021 prime minister winner.

“It’s the first time I’ve heard of something so profound. I think it was handled well, but it’s certainly rare.

Earlier this week, the Herald Sun reported that Zorko’s sleigh sounded like “I hope your mother dies”.

The insult visibly upset Petty, and he was consoled by his teammates, head coach Simon Goodwin and defensive coach Troy Chaplin three-quarters of the time.

Demons captain Max Gawn (pictured) has revealed that Lions skipper Dayne Zorko’s sledding aimed at Harrison Petty was so vicious he never wants to hear anything like it again

Harrison Petty was reduced to tears after Zorko allegedly told him ‘I hope your mother dies’ last Friday in tense scenes

Zorko later admitted he had crossed the line and apologized to Petty, leaving him free to play next Thursday’s playoff semi-final against Richmond at The Gabba.

Petty also started the fourth quarter last Friday at the Gabba on the bench before finally calming down.

After the match, the Lions – and Zorko – apologized and the Demons were ready to close the case.

The AFL also took no action, with Zorko – who is known for his troubles on the pitch – free to play in next Thursday night’s playoff semi-final against Richmond.

And in a move that stunned many footy fans, Lions boss Danny Daly publicly said this week that Zorko’s well-being is the club’s priority.

Many fans felt that the Lions portrayed Zorko as the victim rather than the aggressor.

“He’s really sorry and still emotional about it all,” Daly said.

Daly later told SEN radio that the club had looked into the matter and wanted to move on with the football final looming.

The Demons star started the fourth quarter on the bench as he dealt with the emotions surrounding Zorko’s vicious insult

Footy fans slammed Brisbane Lions boss Danny Daly online this week after he defended Dayne Zorko after his sledding below the belt aimed at Melbourne Demons star Harrison Petty

“The club made a statement (last Saturday) and that’s where it is,” he added.

“To be perfectly honest, our focus right now is to make sure Dayne is okay from a mental health perspective. This is what we have to do as a football club.

Many footballers have called for Zorko to be stripped of the Brisbane captaincy, and the Lions star has also taken down his Instagram following the controversy.

It’s not the first time that Zorko has faced anger from football fans for his style of play.

Zorko took over as Lions skipper in 2018 after former captain Dayne Beams stepped down following a controversy of his own.

He was lambasted just months after stepping into the role, with AFL legend Tim Watson slamming his “terrible leadership” after an ongoing altercation with Gold Coast tagger Touk Miller.

On several occasions, Zorko refused to shake Miller’s hand, did so sarcastically, or abused him during and after the match.