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Senior Cam Rayner (2017-)

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Right as Rayner: Stats show maligned star has joined the League's best

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NOT ONLY is Cam Rayner in the best form of his seven-season career, but Brisbane's dynamic half-forward has become one of the AFL's best players in recent weeks.

Since the Lions' mid-season bye, Rayner's impact has skyrocketed and his team has followed with eight successive wins.

For so long, the No.1 pick from the 2017 AFL Draft has teased with his explosive power and goalkicking ability, taking over small pockets of games, but struggling to consistently put them together.

That has now changed.

Coach Chris Fagan has given Rayner a license to attend stoppages, and the 24-year-old has thrived, mixing dangerous moments around the contest with his usual aerial threat inside forward 50.

His third quarter goal against Sydney in round 19 encapsulated his match-winning ability; he swatted aside defenders following a forward 50 clearance to roost home a much-needed goal from long range.

"He's got great belief in himself at the moment and he's using all his attributes really well," Fagan said.

"He's been a bit maligned, I guess. It's always tough when you're the No.1 pick in the draft, everybody watches you and watches your career.

"He's a bit like a red wine, he's getting better with age."

Rayner has kicked multiple goals in Brisbane's past five games, a stretch during which he has averaged 16.1 Player Ratings points, ranking him 17th in the AFL.

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It's the best five-week stretch of his career.

Narrow that in to the past three wins over West Coast, Sydney and Gold Coast and Rayner is rated the third best player in the competition, averaging 20 disposals, six tackles and four clearances a game while adding six goals and assisting another five.

Of his 132 career games, Champion Data has rated them as three of his best four.

Speaking prior to Brisbane's training session on Tuesday morning, Rayner said clarity with his role had played a huge part in his form surge.

"Just being able to have a balance between the both of them (forward and midfield) and seeing where I feel like I can impact the game at different stages," he said.

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"My strengths are different to other people's strengths in the team and if we can find a way to play a game that works for all of us, I feel like that's how we can play our best footy."

Rayner's fitness has also improved, allowing him to impact later in games.

"There's things I've been speaking about with Muzz (forwards coach Murray Davis) and Brucey (midfield coach Cameron Bruce) which are key indicators for me," he said.

"I feel like if I can get them ticked off, the rest of it comes.

"I feel like I've been able to get them ticked off pretty early in games, which then gives me the confidence to go through and play them out."

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Despite his own top form and the Lions' winning run, Rayner says such a condensed ladder means there is no chance to relent, starting with a trip to Marvel Stadium on Sunday to face St Kilda.

"If you don't keep that energy up, you can get found out straight away," he said.

"Any team can beat any team and it's a challenge every week. You've got to keep finding ways to build energy around the club."
 

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Cam Rayner delivers again in September to keep Brisbane’s premiership defence alive

“It’s a bit of a laugh to be honest, the amount of carry on from some of the media,” Rayner told this masthead.

“You’ve got some people (advocating for) protecting people getting worked through and then going back on their word and coming at you. So to me, it’s all irrelevant to be honest.

“I don’t really care what people say. I’m a pretty easy going character, I had a laugh about it. My brother and sister were booing me after the game as well which was pretty funny.

“It was good to get out there and respond today (against the Suns).”

Given the freedom to inject himself into the midfield whenever he felt it necessary, Rayner walked into the centre bounce after Gold Coast’ two-goal opening salvo and immediately made an impact.

When the whips were cracking in the first half, the Suns simply could not stick a tackle on Brisbane’s bullocking match winner.

With his powerful frame Rayner ran through opponents and stood tall in tackles, creating space in tight and feeding the Lions’ outside runners to go forward.

There was no better example than in the second quarter, when he shrugged off Suns defender Mac Andrew in the centre circle, took 10 steps and drilled an almost-90m goal to put the Lions 13 points up.

The 25-year-old’s numbers don’t jump off the page at first glance: 16 disposals, three clearances and one goal three behinds. But of those 16 touches, nine resulted in Brisbane scores.

Per disposal, no player on the ground gained more metres. He was the definition of quality over quantity.
 
Minds blown as insane Dustin Martin record falls

Rayner was running with spiders on him, seemingly breaking tackles at will as the Lions started to pull away from the Suns.
The tally finished at eight. The previous record for most broken tackles in a game this year had stood at six.

Martin and Jarman Impey previously held the record for most broken tackles in a game with seven. Martin recording the stat in 2017.
 
Dayne Zorko tips Lions teammate Cam Rayner to embrace hostile grand final atmosphere
Zorko had no doubts that the Cats would “come at” Rayner again in Saturday’s decider, and expected his teammate to embrace the potentially hostile atmosphere at the MCG, where the Lions will strive to win back-to-back premierships.

“Cam just will be Cam,” Zorko said on Wednesday after the Lions arrived in Melbourne.

“We don’t tell him to be anyone different or do anything different.

“He’s got plans in place, and he’ll do what he needs to do to help the team get the result.”
 

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