Izak’s a keeper: coach
SUNS NEAFL coach Nick Malceski says highly touted draftee Izak Rankine is a competitive beast who will enter his second pre-season hungry to make an impact after making his return to football.
Rankine, playing just his second NEAFL game of the season after battling with a hamstring injury for most of the year, booted a crafty goal in the fourth quarter against Sydney on Saturday and recorded 14 disposals while playing on restricted game time of about 80 minutes.
The Suns kicked 4.8 in the first term to hold a 23-point lead early before going on to win 13.18 (96) to 9.7 (61) at Tramway Stadium in Sydney.
Connor Nutting led Gold Coast’s scoring with four goals, while Peter Wright kicked two and Aaron Young, Josh Gore, Tom Nicholls, Paul Oea Hewago, Rankine, Brad Scheer and Josh Schoenfeld all scored one.
Young had a team-high 30 disposals while Scheer (20 disposals), Nutting, Sam Fletcher (21 disposals), Wright and Jesse Joyce (22 disposals) were among the best for the Suns.
Suns senior coach Stuart Dew flew to Sydney to watch Rankine first-hand and said the temptation to give him a senior debut this week against GWS was enormous.
“It will be a bigger conver
sation with how much work he has done and the risk and reward for that,” Dew said.
“He has had some disappointments this year but he has never dropped his bundle.”
Whatever way the Suns go, Malceski said Rankine would be thirsty to return in the preseason.
“The next two games will give him heaps of confidence going into the off-season and he will come back hungry because he is a competitor and will do everything he can to get himself right,” Malceski said.
Meanwhile, the Southport Sharks have guaranteed second place following a thumping 20.20 (140) to 11.10 (76) win over Northern Territory in Darwin on Saturday night.
Ryan Davis was best-onground with 36 disposals and three goals, while Matthew Shaw (31 disposals, 1 goal) and Andrew Boston (27 disposals, 1 goal) also contributed.