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For all the hype surrounding Izak Rankin as a promising AFL player in his teenage years, he has been somewhat off-Broadway since he was a footballer on the Gold Coast.
That came to an abrupt halt earlier this month when it emerged the 22-year-old wanted to return home to South Australia to play for the Crows – the team he grew up supporting and idolising.
Rankin made it official on Tuesday when he requested a trade with Adelaide.
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There has been a mixed reaction to the news, starting with obvious disappointment and even anger at the Suns when it comes to eccentric chairman Tony Cochrane.
Both Cochrane and assistant captain Tuck Miller mentioned how much work Gold Coast had put in to firstly help Rankin overcome his early injury problems, but also to develop him as a player and a person.
There is concern that they will not see the fruits of that labour, apart from the class forward’s breakout 2022 season, which included 29 goals and a personal best 10th place in the Suns’ club championship award.
But that disappointment has been matched by excitement in other quarters, namely from Rankin’s family, Crowe and the people of West Adelaide who guided him in his youth.
There is also some anxiety.
Rankin had what can only be described as a challenging upbringing, including but not limited to his parents, Ronald and Carrie, separating.
His relationship with his father is complicated and there were periods before he was called up where he lived at home or with his older brother Matt, one of six siblings.
Rankin took on additional responsibility and the two high schools of West Adelaide and Henley, particularly Ben Kane, who ran the school’s football academy, did their part to provide structure to his life.
“I’m delighted he’s been selected by South Australia,” Rankin’s West Adelaide League coach Gavin Colville told News Corp.
“I felt it would certainly benefit him to get out of the Adelaide Aquarium, so I think that was a good thing.
“All my contacts with Izaak tell me he’s had really solid support on the Gold Coast and it’s been a really good experience for him … I just hope it works out for him because he’s a really good kid.”
AFL officials who spoke to News Corp on condition of anonymity echoed Colville’s view that an interstate move was best.
Rankin himself conducted several interviews with his father and others before the draft. In these solos, he also talked about how getting out of Adelaide would be good for him.
A talent scout left an interview with Rankin, believing his father would find it difficult for his son to leave.
Former Suns football boss John Haynes was heavily involved in Rankin’s first three seasons in the AFL system before leaving the club late last year.
They did their due diligence, then invested further after he became a Gold Coast player.
Rival recruiters knew Rankin was a risk to return home, but believed the Suns’ array of picks in the 2018 draft — Nos. 2, 3 and 7 — meant he was absolutely worth the shot on talent alone.
“Once we picked him, we just wanted to find out as much as we could,” Haynes said.
“Like anything, understanding a person’s path and situation makes it easier, whether individually or as a club, to actually help – and that was our focus.
“There was a lot of time and energy put into it, but it was well received and educational on both sides.
“We learned as much about ourselves and what we need to do to support our players as we learned about Izak.”
Gold Coast’s main approach to Rankin was to surround him with positivity and Haines saw “tremendous” personal growth in him.
Rankin has often spoken to the Suns about wanting to use his profile as an AFL footballer to make a difference in the local community.
THE TALENT
Former Crow Jason Porplyzia, who used to be West Adelaide’s talent manager, still fondly remembers an under-16 game in which Rankin kicked all six of the team’s goals and had nearly as many backs.
Colville’s standout memory is of one passage in Rankin’s draft year when he made a fool of 159-game AFL defender Jasper Pittard, who was playing in the Port Adelaide reserves that day.
Rankin pounced on Sheerin and left Pittard in his dust before kicking a goal, although the defender was in a decent position to push it out of bounds.
“To see someone of Pittard’s quality being taken to school by Isaac was amazing – he was too fast for him,” Colville said.
“Isaac has the ability to run with the ball almost as fast as he does without it. It just looked ridiculously easy … no one else would have scored from that.”
Then, of course, there was Rankin’s championship performance against Victoria Metro for the South Australian under-18 team.
The wonderkid kicked three of his five goals before midway through the first quarter, including a freak finish in the air to help the Tony Bamford-coached South Australians beat the Victorians.
“He’s definitely out of the ordinary. There aren’t many players with exceptional talent in a number of different sports – he was also an excellent basketball player,” Bamford said.
“We didn’t have to do anything in terms of skill acquisition because he was already more skilled than half the guys playing in the AFL.
“It was just a matter of making sure he played a role in the team, which he did pretty well for us.”
Haynes, Gold Coast coach Stuart Dew and co. also shook their heads at Rankin’s natural endowments, from training to matches.
THE FACE
Teammates young and old have always gravitated toward Rankin, who Porplizia calls “happy-go-lucky” and a little cocky.
“I think he’s kind of in the limelight. He likes the anticipation,” said Porplizia, who played 130 games for the Crows from 2006-14.
“He sure did when he was a kid. He liked to play in the big games and the big moments – he thrives on that kind of thing.
“It’s got a little sparkle to it.”
There are few concerns about how Rankin will cope with the increased expectations and attention as an Adelaide footballer, given that off-field issues never seemed to bother him when he was playing.
His ability to “switch off” the football also impressed Colville, a quality he believed would stand him in good stead throughout his AFL career.
Haynes was also impressed by Rankin’s adaptability and infectious personality.
“He had a shyness (when he first arrived), but also an energy and charisma that belied that shyness in some ways,” Haynes said.
“It didn’t take him long to adapt to the environment and build relationships with the people and the staff in particular.” He adapts to the environment quite quickly.
THE FUTURE
Rankin has yet to speak publicly about his trade request, but much of the focus elsewhere so far has been on his salary.
Cochrane even used the phrase “money talks” in a breakup clip with Rankin.
Some media outlets believe he will receive somewhere around $800,000 per season, while others believe it will be closer to $700,000.
The long-term Gold Coast bid was believed to be worth around $650,000 a year. Whatever happens in the end, Rankin will be handsomely rewarded.
There have been glimpses of the player he can become this year, but both Bamford and Porplizia hope Crowe will use him more in midfield.
They believe he can transform into a Shai Bolton or Conor Rosey-type player who starts up front but impacts the game with kicks in midfield.
“I even said it on the Gold Coast two years ago,” Bamford said.
“I said, ‘If you want more than Isaac; you have to sniff it around the ball.
“Don’t just leave it as a small forward because it’s like leaving a Porsche on the high street where you can only drive 60km an hour. Get it on the highway and let it go.
The biggest unknown is how this situation plays out off the field.
The hope is that Adelaide is fully prepared for the complexities that could and probably will arise. But reconnecting with Rankin’s family and friends is also seen as a big positive.
Whatever happens, the general consensus is that the 22-year-old version of Rankin will be much better equipped to handle any potential challenges.
“There’s no doubt about it,” Haynes said.
“He had four years in the system, he was in a really good program and he understands the AFL industry.
“He’s as prepared as he can be to go back to that crazy city and the expectations that will come with the kind of hype that’s going to be around the trade.
“He’ll be ready for it and hopefully he can do really well.”
Fox Footy’s David King spoke this week of his fears over Rankin’s move home, believing the trade request was “ill-advised”.
“I still can’t get my head around that,” King said on SEN.
“I think this is one of the most ill-advised players right now that I’ve seen in a while.
“A young man at 22, he’s just starting, he’s just getting into it, he’s played, like, 50 games of AFL football – he’s not an $800,000 player.
“I understand you get what you pay for and the Adelaide Crows have done a great job to secure their man and you have to pay more, I understand all that, but the pressure that will be on him at the moment worries me.
“Because he’s a short striker, he thrives on winning his own ball in the front 50, he’s not a marquee mid, so he’s not going to be able to get the numbers that will satisfy the fans.
“I think he’ll be under pressure in an instant at the Adelaide Crows.”
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