Senior Cam Rayner (2017-)

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Sooooo happy to see an extension already. You can tell Cam is a major player in the off field department and such a long term commitment can only help us on the build up. Remember when it was assumed he'd play out his first contract then run back to Vic as quick as he could?
 
Rayner Not Going Anywhere

Question: How many great games would it take Cam Rayner to earn another contract extension.

Answer: None.

The 21-year-old provides daily examples with his unwavering positivity and support for his teammates of how to contribute to a team without kicking a footy.

Rayner has claimed a quirky piece of football trivia by signing two new contract extensions without having added to his AFL games tally.

The No.1 draft pick signed a new deal with the Lions at the end of last season which tied him to the Club until the end of 2023.

When he suffered a season ending ACL injury in a pre-season game against the Suns, the Lions asked if he’d like to tack another year onto the deal to make up for the games he was set to miss.

When the reply was “Why don’t we make it two” the Club had no hesitations.

Rayner is now a Lion until at least the end of 2025 and said he cherished the connection he had with the Club.

“The relationships I’ve built here and the fact the Club wanted to re-sign me while I was injured means a lot to me,’’ he said.

“It demonstrates how they feel about me and to me the fit is perfect because I just love playing here and love being a part of this football club.

“To be able to play in front of our fans for a few more years to come really excites me.

“I said at the end of last season that we have unfinished business, but I haven’t had the chance to go out there and prove that and that is what drives me every day to work as hard as I can.’’

Lions GM of Football Danny Daly said Rayner had always been a much-loved character at the Club since the day he walked in the door.
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Rayner Eyes Return to Full Training

In exciting news for Lions fans, High Performance Manager, Damien Austin revealed that Cam Rayner will be back to full training as early as November.

“Cam Rayner’s progressing really well,” Austin said.

“Had we still been training, he’d be into some skills drills in the coming weeks. But once we come back, he’ll almost be into full training.”
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Former No.1 pick 'like a new recruit' for Lions, says footy boss

BRISBANE expects former No.1 pick Cam Rayner to be available for the start of pre-season after tearing his ACL earlier this year.

The 21-year-old is returning to full fitness after injuring his knee just weeks before the opening round.

"He's basically another recruit for us," Lions football manager Danny Daly told Continental Tyres AFL Trade Radio on Tuesday.

Daly said Rayner, who was taken with the top selection in the 2017 NAB AFL Draft, would split his time between the forward line and onball next season.

"Cam has had the whole season to get his knee right and basically put in a pre-season. He's been able to really work on the running side of his game which is something that he lacked a little bit," Daly said.

"Cam will help us enormously. We've all seen snippets of what he can do but I'm pretty sure he can go to another level. We thought he might do that this year."
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Key Lions Flying in Race to Return

Cameron Rayner has a glint in his eye, and an extra yard of pace, after missing all of the last season with a knee injury.

Brisbane's former No.1 draft pick is optimistic he and Eric Hipwood, who could be back ahead of schedule as early as round five, can offer what's needed next year as the Lions stay on the scent of a premiership.
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Rayner watched every second of the 2021 campaign from the sidelines after rupturing his ACL in a pre-season game, while Hipwood suffered the same fate in round 17.

Rayner was set to be used as a game-changer in the midfield while Hipwood's absence discombobulated a forward line that had been developing nicely after the arrival of Joe Daniher.

Hipwood was running laps at the Lions' first session back on Monday, with Rayner in the thick of it and benefiting from an extended cardio program that has elevated one of the perceived weaknesses of his game.
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"Me and Eric are super close; I was heartbroken when I saw him go down ... but he's running really well, would be a good boost to get him back early," Rayner said.

"I know Eric's got the same fire in his belly; it builds character and makes you want to get back and play some good footy and you're not taking for granted the chance to get out and run and train with the boys.

"It (last season's top-four finish) shows the depth of our team, it'll be a lot of work to get back into this team and that is what the pre-season is for.

"Through the off-season I've based myself around blokes I'm trying to catch up to and (I've made some ground) on a couple, the boys were getting pretty competitive."
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All Eyes on May Day

The Lions' other major casualty from 2021, Hipwood's fellow forward Cam Rayner, is now into full training after his ACL injury suffered in pre-season last year.

Fagan said having proven the strength in his reconstructed knee, the 22-year-old is on track for a round one return.

"Cam, you wouldn't know he had a knee injury," the Lions coach said.

"He's doing everything now.

"He was a little bit modified before Christmas.

"We just didn't want him to do any competitive work or too much change of direction but now he's doing it.

"You always look at those guys or watch them in training and when they change direction you sort of close your eyes and then have a bit of a look to see if they're OK when they come out but he looks fine."
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2022 Isn’t Ready for Rayner

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After an ACL injury ruled him out of a potential breakout year last year, Cam Rayner is looking to make 2022 his own.

The 22-year-old has put on plenty of size throughout his rehabilitation and has worked tirelessly on his aerobic base in preparation for a potential stint in the midfield.

Head Coach Chris Fagan said Rayner was even trying to convince him he was right to go for the finals series last year.

“Cam was coming up to me in the finals last year trying to convince me he could play,” Fagan said.

“That was never going to happen, but he’s joined in training pretty much from the word go this pre-season.”

Fagan also commended Rayner on the energy he brings to the group.

“He’s super fit and he’s very enthusiastic and we’re excited about the energy he brings to the team.”

“He’s back into contested work now. He’s such a tough competitor and never takes a backwards step. He’ll play a really important role for the team this year and is on good track.”
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Luckless Lion shines alongside former No.1 pick in match sim

Cam Rayner was another to impress, looking right at home in the middle of the ground alongside Lachie Neale, Jarryd Lyons and Zac Bailey.

He has well-and-truly overcome the ruptured ACL that wiped out his 2021.

One towering overhead mark in the forward line was a highlight for the former No.1 pick, before he unselfishly squared a pass to Cockatoo for a more adjacent shot at goal.
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Rayner Not Phased by Metricon Return

Cam Rayner says he's "back to normal" after recovering from his ruptured ACL but joked he would not play at Metricon Stadium again after suffering the injury at the ground last year.

Brisbane's former No.1 pick has been flying in the club's pre-season match simulation sessions and says he's keen to play Adelaide in a practice match on February 25 at the same venue.

"I guess you think about it a little bit," Rayner said about returning to play at Gold Coast's home ground.

"Me and Eric (Hipwood) vouched to each other we wouldn't play there again after he did it, but I'm not sure what Fages would think of that," he joked.

"When I had a chance to coach the VFL team at Metricon, I walked out there and sussed out that area and thought, 'it’s a freak accident, these things happen'.

"You could do it at the Gabba, the MCG, it doesn't really matter. Just get out there and focus on footy."
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Rayner the New Petracca? Browny Thinks So

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It seems there is one ingredient every premiership team needs these days, and that's a Dustin Martin … or a Christian Petracca.

And while Dusty, a three-time Norm Smith medallist and superstar of the game, is widely considered as inimitable, according to Brisbane great Jonathan Brown the Lions might have something similar right under their nose.

Brown, a three-time premiership player himself, has his sights set on a former No.1 draft pick in Cam Rayner.

"Can Cam Rayner get back out there and be that X-factor that I think they need? That forward-midfield sort of X-factor?" Brown wondered in his exclusive interview with AFL.com.au during the Fox Footy launch.

"Can he sort of hit the scoreboard and have an impact like a …?"

Brown paused, then added: "Well, everyone compares him to Dustin Martin. You know, Martin, Petracca, (Jordan) De Goey, (Jake) Stringer - that kind of impact. Hopefully he can start working towards that."

Under coach Chris Fagan, the Lions have been knocking on the door of a Grand Final berth, winning through to two semi-finals and a preliminary final in 2020.

Brown remains adamant that to take the next step and, indeed, win a flag, it will require a player like the 22-year-old Rayner to become an outright superstar of the competition.

Despite missing all the 2021 season because of an ACL injury, Rayner is slated to spend more time in the Brisbane engine room this year.

It could prove to be the birth of another powerful mid-forward, whose bursts from stoppages break the hearts of the opponents, even if he's only 63 games into his AFL career.

"I struggle to see midfields that have a blandness about them win a premiership," Brown said.

"I don't think we're going to sit here at the end of the season and say (Rayner) is a bona fide superstar, but it would be nice to see him play consistent football and have an impact on games.

"He's still a young player and he's coming off a knee reconstruction, which we need to be mindful of."
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Fagan: "Cam's Jumping Out of His Skin"

Brisbane coach Chris Fagan says Cam Rayner is "jumping out of his skin" to play Port Adelaide on Saturday night after missing 12 months with a knee injury.
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Fagan was all smiles when asked about his former No.1 draft pick on Friday, saying Rayner had overcome some mental demons during the pre-season.

"I think he's excited about playing," Fagan said.

"He had a hit-out a couple of weeks ago against Adelaide at the ground (Metricon Stadium) where he did his knee, which was a bit of a traumatic day for him.

"He got through that game and played well.

"He missed (the AAMI Community Series match) against the Dogs because his dad wasn't well.

"Now that his dad's well he's jumping out of his skin to play. It's almost given him another outlook on life."

Fagan said Rayner brought energy to the Lions they had missed last year and believed the 22-year-old had grown as a person in the past 12 months.

"All he's got to do tomorrow night is play his role, he doesn't have to play the house down, he's just got to play his role."
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Returned Lion Building to His Best and Beyond

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It was fitting on Sunday that Cam Rayner played the best game of his return from a ruptured ACL at the ground he suffered the injury at a little over 12 months ago.

Rayner gathered 20 disposals against Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium – the third most of his 69-game career –added a goal and took five marks to go with three clearances in a terrific outing.

He put the concern of playing at the venue behind him in a pre-season hit-out against the Suns, and this time well-and-truly buried it with his best performance of 2022 to date.

Most importantly though, the power was back for Brisbane's dynamic 22-year-old, exploding clear of one tackler and evading another in his brilliant first-quarter goal.

Rayner also leapt strongly to take two overhead marks and was an important link in many Lions scoring chains.

The half-forward-turn-midfielder has had a strong start to the season after missing all of 2021 and told AFL.com.au there was plenty of room to get better.

"I feel like I've been building and building and building, and finally I'm starting to get a bit more confident out there and trust my body," Rayner said.

"I feel like I'm getting back to my best.

"I didn't want to come out firing straight away, I wanted to build and build until the back end of the year."

Rayner had a quick chat with opponents Connor Budarick and Jarrod Witts on Sunday – both on the comeback from the same injury – to see if their experiences had been the same as his.

He said they all had a similar theme – the more games you play, the more consistent you'll be and the better you'll get.

Rayner still has a little rust, evidenced by missing two very gettable shots at goal, but with his improved endurance and gifts with ball-in-hand, is becoming a more valuable contributor by the week.

Rayner said it wasn't simply the two hours on match day that had helped him return though, but extra education to help understand his expanded midfield role.

"It's during the week to be honest," he said.

"I've put a lot more work into my footy this year than I have ever before during the week, with tapes, and trying to learn as much as I can with Lachie (Neale) and 'JL' (Jarryd Lyons).

"You can build the trust with the guys in the midfield and actually do your thing without worrying or hesitating about anything else.

"I think that's helped me the most.
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Brisbane Small Forwards Firing

Zac Bailey kicked three to move to 21 for the year, and with Lincoln McCarthy and Cam Rayner also hitting the scoreboard regularly and adding bucketloads of forward-50 pressure, Chris Fagan might be wondering how he fits the big guys in when they are fit.

On Rayner's impact since returning from a knee injury, AFL journalist Damian Barrett says the Lions are only just scratching the surface on what the former number one pick can achieve.

"Before going down with an injury last year, he'd played 63 matches of footy, but his 9 this year have been very different," he said.

"Midfield roles, coming in and out as a burst player. His skills are elite and I still don't think the Lions under Chris Fagan have scratched the surface of where this guy can go to."

Essendon great, Matthew Lloyd also spoke excitedly about Rayner's explosive start.

"If he was a stock, you'd be buying plenty of him because he's played 70 games, but his next 70 should be pretty special."
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