CONTRARY to popular thinking, the Brisbane Lions can reverse their flagging fortunes quickly, says milestone man Dayne Zorko.

Zorko, who plays his 100th game on Sunday against Geelong, said despite winning just three games this year, the Lions aren't as far off as what most people think.

He's the club vice-captain, he's supposed to say that, but the 27-year-old believes the games put into the Lions' young players this season will hold the club in good stead in the not-too-distant future.

Zorko also said they can't use youth as an excuse for poor performances.

The workaholic midfielder signed a four-year contract extension prior to the season and believes the Lions can climb into premiership contention in that time. 

"We've seen with the likes of Port Adelaide (2013) and the Western Bulldogs (2015) in previous years, how quickly it can definitely change," Zorko said. 

"I can't see any reason why we can't do it.

"We've got a lot of young kids now with quite a few games under their belt.

"They've got a lot of opportunity this year to really show what they've got and there's been plenty of great signs, so I can't see any reason why it can't happen in my time." 

Zorko said the one thing that hadn't wavered this year was the players' bond and their willingness to work hard during the week, regardless of results.

He said the development of first-year players like Josh Schache and Eric Hipwood could not be underestimated and would pay long-term dividends.

"Experience takes a little bit of time, but these games are only going to help fast-track those guys' development," he said.

"We want to get the best out of ourselves, we continue to train extremely hard. We know results are only going to happen off really hard work. 

"We know it's going to take a long time to get ourselves up the ladder and it's going to be a difficult process, but it's the only way we're going to do it."