Cam Rayner opens up on the moment he took on Richmond captain Trent Cotchin
It was the moment that the Brisbane Lions announced they wouldn’t be taking a backward step against the unsociable Tigers. This is how Cam Rayner sparked his entire club – and why he plans to do it again.
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It was described as the changing of the guard.
The old vs new. A young Lion standing up to the intimidating Tiger.
When 20-year-old Cam Rayner found himself face-to-face with two-time premiership winner Trent Cotchin in week one of the finals – the football world couldn’t help but watch what was about to unfold.
In those big, significant, do-or-die moments, Cotchin is usually the man to stand up and assert his dominance.
With 249 games and two premierships under his belt at Richmond, he knows a thing or two about what it takes to be a winner.
But in this particular moment, on the hallowed Gabba turf, just minutes before halftime, Cotchin found himself on the ground and Rayner looming over the top of him as the aggressor.
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For many, it was the Lions’ “coming of age” moment – that they could stand up to their more intimidating southern rivals – and it was led by Brisbane’s much-trumpeted No. 1 draft pick.
But it didn’t stop there.
The significance of that brief encounter was then magnified tenfold when Rayner, riding high on emotions, kicked the Lions ahead just minutes later in a crucial part of the game.
Former teammate and AFL great Luke Hodge had nothing but applause for the young Lion in one of the most significant moments of the match.
“He loves a big occasion,” Hodge said during Channel 7’s live commentary.
“He shows he’s happy to have a push and shove and then the next stage, he’s not worried about the fight, he worries about the ball.
“He gets it, takes a shot and backs himself to kick the open goal.
“He gets this crowd involved, there’s two or three blokes at the Lions who can do it: (Eric) Hipwood, Charlie Cameron and that bloke’s (Rayner) the other one.”
Former Lions captain and Fox Footy commentator Jonathan Brown praised Rayner for his ability to stand up to the likes of Cotchin and Richmond.
“I thought it was an important moment but the follow-up was important too,” Brown said.
“He did that and then he kicks a very important goal within a short time frame and that tells you a fair bit about the kid.
“The combination of those two acts was a good indicator of a team maturing.
“I was very encouraged by his finals performance last year so I knew he would have developed a lot of confidence out of that.”
The exciting young Brisbane star has this week opened up about that moment in the lead up to Saturday’s clash with Geelong, and revealed how he plans to emulate his efforts again this weekend.
“It was just a contest in the air,” Rayner recalled of the moment.
“I jumped up and he grabbed my leg.
“It was just a push and shove and I guess that got the blood flowing a little bit.”
That moment epitomised everything about that game – a tight tussle, the Tigers trying all they could to rattle their opponents and the Lions proving they weren’t backing down from a fight.
Brisbane’s No. 1 pick in the 2017 draft admitted in hindsight, the moment was a key turning point – not just in the game but announcing to the entire AFL competition that the Lions weren’t to be taken lightly.
“Obviously I wasn’t thinking that in the moment but when you see that after the game,” he said.
“It’s times like that two years ago where it would come to a stage like that in the game and Richmond would have got over us.
“And teams like Geelong would have got over us and beat us but now we have that maturity in the group to know we can do it with the best.
“When it comes to those moments, it doesn’t have to be our stars that step up – we’ve got players all over the field who can do it.
“That’s really encouraging for everyone in the team and gives us confidence going forward.”
Rayner has quickly become one of Brisbane’s top players, averaging a career-high number of marks, tackles and goals per game this year.
He has even been likened to Richmond’s Dustin Martin and more recently, Collingwood’s Jordan De Goey.
It has been a meteoric rise for the Victorian product who held much expectation since arriving at the club as the draft’s No. 1 pick.
“It’s been a great ride,” Rayner said.
“I’ve loved every single bit of it.
“It’s so exciting that I’ve come to a club where we only won five games in my first year and were on the bottom and then been able to work our way to the top.
“The main goal is to win a premiership.
“To come from the bottom of the ladder to the top with the one club, will be awesome.
“Brisbane has been struggling for a long time and if we can bring success, that’s what we’re working for.”
His achievements have not gone unnoticed by his teammates as well.
Skipper Dayne Zorko said Rayner had become a pivotal member of Brisbane’s pack.
“Ever since Cam has got to the club, he’s been full of energy,” Zorko said.
“He’s a ray of sunshine.
“We see things on the training track that a lot of people don’t see and that’s the case with Cam.
“For him to now take that from training and implement that in a game, it’s really important for him.”
Saturday’s clash against Geelong shapes to be the biggest game of Rayner’s AFL career to date as the Lions look to book a spot in this year’s grand final.
Brisbane went down to the Cats 6.10 (46) to 11.7 (73) in Round 6 earlier this year but the club has turned things around since then, according to Brown.
“Ironically, the team they come up against this week is a team they learnt a lot of lessons from earlier this year,” Brown said.
“As much as anything, I’ve seen a maturity from this group from that game on.
“The contribution the forwards have made just playing with a greater presence, especially the aerial contests, I’ve been impressed with.
“Cam and the rest of the team will be fine this weekend. They’re ready to do it.”
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Rayner reiterated the thoughts of Brown and said he was confident the Lions had become better since their Round 6 loss.
“As a group, we’ve matured a lot since then,” Rayner said.
“After that game, I remember sitting down in the team meeting and we spoke about momentum swings and how important they are in a game.
“There’s moments in games where they can break it open.
“We learnt our lesson halfway through the season which held us in good stead so hopefully we can put the right things in place to get the win.”
Originally published as Cam Rayner opens up on the moment he took on Richmond captain Trent Cotchin