Footy star confesses that he crashed his club CEO's car - and reveals why he told him NOT to complain about it
Brisbane Lions star Cam Rayner has recounted the hilarious story of how he once crashed a club CEO's car on his way home from a training session and why he hilariously told the footy boss not to complain about the damage.
The 25-year-old medium forward is now in his eighth season at the footy club and is enjoying one of his best years yet off the back of his side's premiership-winning season in 2024.
Born and raised in Melbourne, Rayner would be drafted to the Queensland club as the No 1 pick of the 2017 draft.
The time between when a prospective player is picked at the AFL Draft to the moment they are heading out for their first training session is a very fast-paced process with club's going to great lengths to ensure that players can move to their new club's with ease.
Many young footy stars, particularly those travelling interstate, are given housing by their clubs, with other players or members of the management.
The move is designed to help them develop bonds around the club and Rayner, interestingly, moved to live with Brisbane CEO Greg Swann, who has been in the role since July 2024, having also spent time working as a CEO of Collingwood and Carlton.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Footy on Nine (@footyonnine)
'When I first moved up to Brisbane - Harley will know coming away from home - it's pretty much, exam, drafted and then you're gone,' he began, speaking to Channel 9.
'In between that little space, my birthday fell, so I went and got my licence and got up to Brisbane and that's the first time driving by myself - without anyone else in the car.
'Took Swanny's car - the CEO, who I was living with at the time - and drove it into the club and on the way out took out the boom gate at the footy club.
'I don't think Swanny found it funny at the time... he was a little bit pissed off...' he added laughing.
In the years following his arrival, the footy star has gone from strength to strength and is actualising his potential as one of the best young stars in the league.
Last season, he notably kicked 31 goals - including a major in the Grand Final - which was a career high tally for the forward.
Rayner was then pressed on what kind of car Swan had been driving, revealing: 'It was a club car. So I was kind of like: "Mate, you've been handed that car anyway so don't start complaining if I drive it into the boom gate".'
He then revealed the funny exchange he had with the CEO, after revealing on the show how he revealed the news to him.
'I went back to his house that night and we were having dinner,' Rayner said.
Obviously, I like to have a bit of a joke and we've got a pretty good relationship and I said: "Mate, I've smashed your car into the boom gate".
'And he's gone: "It's gold mate," and has just sat on the couch.
'I'm like: "Nah seriously, go outside and have a look at your car, it's got a smash through the front of it".
'He didn't find it funny the second time, but obviously a good story to hold onto.'
Interestingly, footy fans last year hailed footy coach Chris Fagan for his leadership and insight after he had predicted Rayner would one day make up for a shocking missed attempt at a goal during the 2018 season.
The 25-year-old found redemption after he scuffed a shot in their round 20 clash against the Kangaroos in his first season at the club, which would have won the Lions the game.
Last year, he booted a match-winning kick against Geelong to help the Lions book their spot in the AFL Grand Final against the Swans.
'I was pretty glad he had the ball in his hands in the dying stages to win a game of footy and, as a lot of our young players did, they stood up,' Fagan said at the time.
'They might have made some mistakes during that period, but it will stand them in good stead down the track, and I'm sure Cam Rayner in his career at this footy club will make up for that one over and over again.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Aussie swim star bounces back after disqualification blunder as she reveals why she nearly lost out on a ticket to the World Championships
Kaylee McKeown has said a disqualification blunder will only add to her mental steel after a dramatic start to her world championship selection trials. McKeown was aghast to be disqualified after her heat in the 50m backstroke heat on Monday morning at Australia's trials in Adelaide. Race officials DQ'd McKeown, the world record holder in the event, for initiating an early start. But after a protest, and a two-hour appeal, she was reinstated to the final when officials ruled McKeown was distracted by movement prior to the starter's signal. 'It's something that you really want to practice,' McKeown said. 'But it's good to mentally toughen yourself up and hopefully it prepares me for anything down the track.' McKeown won Monday night's final at the South Australian Aquatic Centre in 27.33 seconds, well shy of her 26.86 global benchmark set in October 2023. McKeown said the disqualification blunder will only add to her mental steel after a dramatic start to her world championship selection trials The five-time Olympic gold medallist refused to detail the exact distraction that caused her initial disqualification. 'Things happen and it just crumbled that way,' she said. 'I knew as soon as I started, what I had done. 'But thankfully we had the technology to look back at footage and saw the distraction and I got reinstated.' With her victory, McKeown secured her ticket to the world championships in Singapore from July 27 to August 3. In the men's 400m freestyle, Sam Short laid an emphatic marker in his redemption tale after a disappointing Olympics last year. Short was rated a gold-medal freestyle fancy in the 400m, 800m and 1500m in Paris but finished fourth, ninth and 13th respectively. On Monday night, he won the 400m free final in three minutes 41.03 seconds from Paris silver medallist Elijah Winnington (3:43.99). 'I came fourth (in the 400m) at the Olympics, so in our lives it's probably a little bit of a failure,' Short said. 'But I've got tons of mates ... they'd literally probably chop their legs off just to get the opportunity to come fourth at the Olympics.' Lani Pallister won the women's 400m freestyle in 3:59.72 - the first time she has dipped under four minutes in the event. Pallister will lead Australia's tilt in the event in Singapore in the absence of Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus, who will miss the worlds while on an extended break. In the women's 200m individual medley, Ella Ramsay (2:09.21) prevailed. And Alex Perkins won the women's 100m butterfly in a personal best time of 56.42 - 0.36 seconds quicker than her previous benchmark set hours earlier in the heats. In the men's 100m butterfly, Nash Wilkes (1:00.19) touched ahead of Bailey Lello (1:00.47) but both were outside the automatic qualifying time of 59.75 set by Swimming Australia.
Auto Blog
2 hours ago
- Auto Blog
Kia Confirms A Tasman SUV Is Coming
The Kia Tasman may spawn a rugged SUV to take on the 4Runner. This should be good. Kia May Soon Have An Answer To The 4Runner And Bronco The Kia Tasman is a midsize pickup with styling that not everyone will gel with, and which is off-limits to American buyers for the time being. However, its eccentricity in the styling department may not negatively impact its future prospects for diversification, according to a report from Australia's Carsales. When asked by the publication whether a Kia Tasman-based SUV could be openly discussed, Kia Australia Chief Engineer for Ride and Handling Graeme Gombold answered the question directly: 'Three years down the track.' That means a new Toyota 4Runner rival could reach dealer floors by 2029. 0:00 / 0:09 Tesla sales in Europe drop yet again Watch More An SUV Is Just One Way The Tasman Could Grow Gambold's job is to fine-tune Kia suspensions for the specific demands of the Australasian region and its roadways, so it follows that the engineer would know what's coming down the pipeline. However, this new SUV, and other potential incarnations of the Tasman, first depend on the base vehicle achieving success, as the brand's marketing boss, Dean Norbiato, was quick to point out. 'If Tasman is a success, then it will open many doors, so let's get Tasman right first,' said the executive. 'Once we get that right, then we can go from there. Let us take a breath; the media was asking for a ute [pickup truck] for 10 years.' So it'll be some way off if it happens, but clearly, Kia knows it's worth exploring, and suggesting that 'many doors' can be opened indicates there may be other applications for the truck. Chances Of An American Tasman SUV Source: Kia Kia's American arm offers the Sportage and Sorento, but neither of those is constructed atop a body-on-frame architecture, which means there is still a gap in the U.S. market that Kia could potentially fill, offering something to compete with the Ford Bronco and Toyota 4Runner. However, as noted at the outset, the Tasman's chances of arrival in America seem slim, and if that's not arriving, would it be worth tweaking the eventual SUV? Perhaps not, but the good news is that Kia is bringing a pickup of some sort to our shores, and there's no reason to believe that truck can't someday spawn an SUV that fits right into a gap in the U.S. market. Autoblog Newsletter Autoblog brings you car news; expert reviews and exciting pictures and video. Research and compare vehicles, too. Sign up or sign in with Google Facebook Microsoft Apple By signing up I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy . You may unsubscribe from email communication at anytime. About the Author Sebastian Cenizo View Profile
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Tottenham star Yves Bissouma reveals emotional private messages with Ange Postecoglou after his Spurs sacking
Yves Bissouma has posted on social media the private messages he shared with Ange Postecoglou after the Aussie manager was sacked by Tottenham last week. Postecoglou was relieved of his duties on Friday, just 16 days after leading Spurs to their first trophy in 17 years as they beat Manchester United in the Europa League final. Many of the Tottenham squad - including captain Son Heung-min and James Maddison - were quick to post emotional messages of gratitude to Postecoglou, and Bissouma has now revealed his own text exchange with his former manager on Snapchat. The conversation begins with Postecoglou writing: 'Hi Biss. Sorry I missed your call. I am very proud of you. It was an honour to share a dressing room with you and appreciate how much you believed in what we were trying to achieve. 'I wish you only the best for the future. I will always be following. Much love from my family to yours.' Bissouma replied: 'Thank you gaffer and thank you really much for everything on and off the pitch I'll always be grateful. The way you believed me and trusted me was incredible. 'I'm gonna miss you but it's football life. Got a lot to be said but I think you know what I'm thinking about you already so I'm just wishing you all the best for the future and may God protect you and your family. #bigboss love.' The exchange ended with Postecoglou responding: 'Always by your side Biss'. The heartfelt farewell message from Bissouma indicates how popular Postecoglou was with his players who are reportedly furious with the decision to sack him. Spurs finished down in 17th and suffered 22 league defeats in the 2024-25 season, but many felt Postecoglou deserved a chance to put their domestic form right after their Europa League triumph in Bilbao. However, chairman Daniel Levy opted to axe Postecoglou, and the search to find his successor is gathering pace. Mail Sport understands that the north London club are closing in on appointing Brentford boss Thomas Frank as their new manager after positive talks. Spurs will have to pay a hefty compensation fee for the Dane, but appear ready to finalise a deal as they look to move on from Postecoglou quickly.
