Rankine finally on the field

AS South Australia’s under-18 coach Tony Bamford was asked on several occasions, who is a better prospect, Jack Lukosius or Izak Rankine?

“I always said Izak’s small, Jack’s tall, you take your pick,” Bamford said.

“I couldn’t split them really. “The only way I did in the end was that Jack will probably give you a bit more consistency early, but you could counter that by saying Izak could win you a grand final if you get there.”

The 2018 AFL Draft will go down in history as one of the best after the starts players such as No.1 pick Sam Walsh, Lukosius (No.2), Max King (No.4), Connor Rozee (No. 5), Bailey Smith (No.7) and Tarryn Thomas (No.8) have made to their careers.

And the player widely considered as the most talented of that draft class hasn’t even played yet — though this will change when No.3 pick Rankine debuts for Gold Coast against Melbourne today.

A SANFL debut for West Adelaide at just 16, and likened to Adelaide great Andrew McLeod in the way he plays, the hype has been around Rankine for years.

An outstanding under-18s national carnival as a 17-yearold further increased the hype.

But hamstring and hip injuries meant he didn’t get a chance at AFL level last year, and made him wait for his chance in 2020. Bamford said watching other young guns do well “would have lit a fire in his belly”.