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

Lachie Neale may be missing, so it was up to some of the young guns at Brisbane to show up in the biggest QClash ever. After a week of heat, Cam Rayner was up for the challenge.

After a week of criticism Brisbane Lions forward Cam Rayner was given a licence to thrill by coach Chris Fagan and his star responded with a stunning first half in Saturday night’s semi-final thumping of Gold Coast.

Rayner was in the football world’s crosshairs after being paid two contentious free kicks in the second quarter of the qualifying final loss to Geelong, compounding the commentary on the Lions’ poor night at the MCG that had some questioning whether they were a spent force this September.

Fast-forward eight days and Brisbane was back to its brutal best against the Suns, sparked by a barnstorming Rayner who was ready to remind the world of what he was capable of.

“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.

“He was good wasn’t he? (Last week) was a bit of water off a duck’s back to Cam,” Fagan said.

“He’s turned into a great leader at our footy club. He’s in our leadership group now and he just understands the moments.

“I’ve told him ‘you’re a bull, so be a bull, play that way’ and that’s what he does. That’s his great attribute and when he does it, he just breaks the game open.”

Rayner’s response after last week’s disappointing defeat to Geelong typified the reigning premier’s season. Whenever the Lions have been challenged or questioned, they have answered the call.

Cam Rayner kicks a goal from long range

“I feel like every time this year we’ve been doubted or come up short we’ve responded really well and that is something I’m so proud of the group for,” Rayner said.

“I had full confidence today that if we got our contested game right we could turn it back around and we did.

“Gold Coast has turned into such a great football team and really hard to play against. Their contested footy is awesome, they really dominated us (in Round 20) so it was good to get on top of them. It was a great response.”

If the Round 20 loss to Gold Coast was the Lions’ worst performance of the season, then their 52-point defeat to Collingwood at the Gabba in Round 6 was not far behind.

Having righted one wrong on Saturday night, Rayner said the group would be eager to repeat the dose next Saturday against their 2023 grand final conquerors.

“It doesn’t matter how many times we beat them or they beat us, they still got us in the granny so that’s the important one,” he said.

“It will be good to get one back (on Collingwood).”

DOUBTING FAGAN’S LIONS? PFFT, THINK AGAIN — AND WATCH OUT PIES

How many times does Brisbane coach Chris Fagan have to prove people wrong?

Whatever the score, add another to the tally after Saturday night’s semi-final statement victory over the Gold Coast Suns.

While everyone else spent the week hypothesising how and why his Lions could lose, the reigning premiership coach went to work ensuring they would win.

Two months ago Gold Coast put Brisbane to the sword at People First Stadium. That might have been the Suns’ fatal mistake.

Because that game tape would have been dissected to death in the aftermath – and again this week – as the Lions drew up their semi-final masterpiece.

Don’t fire your best shot in July.

Brisbane conceded 13 goals from stoppage in Round 20. On Saturday night the Suns could not buy a goal after quarter-time, let alone from their most potent source.

The Lions learned their lesson. They did not let Alex Davies be Matt Rowell’s midfield bodyguard this time around. His boogeyman, Josh Dunkley, won that battle once again.

They knew that if they dialled up the pressure, the Suns would not be able go with them – as had been the case all season against top eight teams away from home.

And they knew Damien Hardwick would not compromise his system by assigning a run-with player to Hugh McCluggage. Whoops.

Hugh McCluggage was brilliant for Brisbane. Picture: Lachie Millard

The Lions’ All-Australian was all the talk this week after being smothered by Cats’ tagger Oisin Mullin in the qualifying final.

He and Fagan would have both smiled when Hardwick said on Thursday that McCluggage would be given a licence to roam.

At halftime Brisbane’s vice-captain had 21 disposals and was right there alongside Dunkley and Cam Rayner as best on ground.

With his heavily strapped left knee McCluggage is clearly playing through some type of injury which he and the Lions are keeping under wraps.

But the measure of a player and a coach is getting the best out of what you have.

And as Brisbane has shown this season, with the hardest fixture in footy and as many as six of its best-23 players out injured, nobody does that better.

What has made McCluggage so damaging throughout his career has been his penchant to kick first and handball later.

But he became the ultimate first touch player on Saturday night, amassing a career-high 22 handballs to just 11 kicks.

With no Lachie Neale, McCluggage played the role of extractor and handed his kicking keys to his midfield running mates.

Dunkley was everywhere – his 18 tackles a finals record. Gold Coast’s midfielders will have gone to bed on Sunday morning checking the shadows for the Lions’ No.5.

And then there was Rayner. Last week the villain, this week Brisbane’s unstoppable superhero.

Strap a cape to him and call him Superman because at times in the first half, he looked it.

Fagan was asked on Friday if he had spoken to Rayner about “those” free kicks against Geelong. The coach was almost angered by the question – his response? Not necessary.

Once again, he was right. He knew his bull would give the requisite response and he did.

After just two centre bounce attendances last week, he was thrown into the middle when the Suns kicked the first two goals in quick succession and immediately got to work.

Untackle-able and unrelenting, that was the Cam Rayner people pay to watch at the footy.

And that was the response the football world should have expected from the reigning premier.

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