Brisbane AFL rookie Cameron Rayner has taken the lavish praise of legendary teammate Luke Hodge in his stride as he prepares for his maiden game at the Gabba.
The No.1 draft pick caught the eye in his AFL debut on the weekend, kicking a goal and throwing his weight around in the forward line despite only managing eight touches in a 25-point loss to St Kilda.
His performance was enough for teammate and former Hawthorn great Luke Hodge to label the 18-year-old "a jet" in the making at the Lions.
"Hodgey and the rest of the boys have given me lots of support which has given me plenty of confidence," Rayner said.
"Not having that added pressure of the blokes makes me more comfortable to go out there and do my thing."
Rayner said their assurances had also calmed him down on the field, but that more composure was needed against Melbourne on Saturday night.
"There was glimpses in the game (against St Kilda) where we moved it well, but probably just got a bit excited and tried to move it a little too quickly," he said.
The Gabba clash will be foreign ground for both Rayner and Hodge, with the side restricted to only a handful of training runs at the venue during the pre-season.
It will be Hodge's first game at the venue since April 2008, in a contest which staggeringly marked his only Gabba victory in his 17-season AFL career.
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