Hall of Fame Legend Leigh Matthews interrupts interview with Brisbane Lion Cam Rayner to ask for hug and photo

It’s not every day that arguably the greatest player to ever play footy interrupts your premiership interview to ask for a hug and a photo. Brisbane Cam Rayner was explaining his euphoria to The West Australian inside the changerooms on Saturday night when Hall of Fame legend Leigh Matthews stepped in. “Finish the interview. We want our hug,” Matthews said. The ‘we’ was Matthews and his wife Deb who have taken a keen interest in Rayner’s career since he joined the Lions as the number one draft pick in 2017. Matthews’ extraordinary career included four premierships as a Hawthorn player and four as a coach at Collingwood and Brisbane. Rayner was only eight years old when Matthews coached his last game. But he has never underestimated how lucky he is to have him as a mentor. “He’s a superstar. Deb just said then that she’s got badge in her purse and it’s me,” Rayner said. “He’s been so good to me. Being in Brisbane, going up there as an 18-year-old and being able to speak with Leigh and talk through stuff with Leigh, that’s awesome. Little Cam Rayner as a kid is absolutely eating his heart out right now. It’s so cool. “My dad watched a lot of his football. He absolutely pumped him up through the roof. I’ve tried to resemble a lot of my playing style on him. He was the same sort of player. Really explosive and a little bit of a tank. So it’s awesome to see that.” Rayner played the role of chief antagonist during the finals after receiving two controversial free kicks in a row directly in front of goal during the qualifying final against Geelong. He was constantly abused during the grand final parade and copped a barrage of boos when his name was announced to the crowd at the game, but had the last laugh with a final quarter goal that broke Geelong’s heart. Rayner said he’d always taken a different approach to being targeted by opposition fans. “I loved it to be honest. I really did. The boos are like cheers to me,” he explained. “The grand final parade was awesome. I loved that. I loved people getting into me. That was fun. Again today, it was so awesome. Anyone who comes to the footy is a supporter. I understand that. They have got every right. I welcome it all. I loved it. It was good fun.”