Izak Rankine is coming home.
Adelaide has secured the exciting forward in a deal centred around the Crows’ Pick 5 in this year’s AFL draft after negotiations with Gold Coast dragged into the trade period’s second week.
The Crows have secured Rankine, Pick 46 and a future fourth-round pick, while the Suns have been given Pick 5, a future third-round pick and a future fourth-round pick.
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The deal still needs to be ticked off by the AFL but will be official on Monday afternoon.
The Crows have limited list spots left but the pick in this year’s draft will likely go towards matching a bid on father-son prospect Max Michalanney, a promising defender.
News Corp revealed in early August that Adelaide’s hope to bring Rankine back to South Australia was suddenly a reality and he requested a trade the week after the Suns’ season ended.
The 22-year-old was the No.3 pick in the loaded 2018 draft, with the likes of Sam Walsh, the King twins – Max and Ben – Bailey Smith and Connor Rozee also taken in the top 10 that year.
Rankine is fresh from his best season at AFL level, kicking 29 goals from 18 games, as well as averaging 13 disposals, one goal assist and a league-best 2.9 groundball-gets inside 50.
The Crows are set to not only use him as a forward but also plan to unleash him in the midfield.
“We are thrilled to have Izak join our club and are excited about what he will bring to our team,” Crows list boss Justin Reid said.
“Izak is a highly talented footballer with great foot speed, is dangerous around goal and has tremendous game sense.
“We are very pleased that he wants to be part of what we are building at the club.”
Rankine’s arrival follows that of fellow South Australian Jordan Dawson last year as Adelaide plots to climb the ladder again after stripping back the list for an aggressive rebuild.
The Suns were disappointed to lose Rankine and flew his father to the Gold Coast late in the season in a last-gasp bid to change his mind.
It’s believed his round 15 game against Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval, when he was surrounded by family afterwards in the change rooms, was a turning point in him wanting to go home.
Once Rankine’s mind was made up, Gold Coast turned its attention to maximising the return for him, with Adelaide’s top pick instantly targeted.
The Suns are also chasing more picks in next year’s draft to help them match bids for Academy prospects Jed Walter and Ethan Read, so that became an integral part of the Rankine deal.
Jed Walter was named in this year’s under-18 All-Australian team as a bottom-ager and is considered the second-best key forward in the 2023 draft behind potential No.1 Harley Reid.
Read is a 200cm ruckman who could eventually succeed Jarrod Witts as Gold Coast’s leading big man.
Gold Coast received the Giants’ future second-round pick in a deal with Brisbane that saw Tom Berry become a Sun and also scored a future fourth-round selection from Fremantle for Josh Corbett.
Geelong will likely hand over a 2023 third-round pick in the salary dump trade with Gold Coast for Jack Bowes and the No.7 selection in this year’s draft.
