Izak Rankine

Izak Rankine (born 23 April 2000) is a professional Australian rules footballer who plays for the Gold Coast Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Izak Rankine
Personal information
Nickname(s)
Date of birth (2000-04-23) 23 April 2000
Original team(s) West Adelaide (SANFL)
Draft No. 3, 2018 AFL draft, Gold Coast
Height 179 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Weight 82 kg (181 lb)
Position(s) Forward/Midfielder
Club information
Current club Gold Coast
Number 22
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2020– Gold Coast 12 (12)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2020.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Early life

Rankine was born in Adelaide into a family of Indigenous Australian descent (Kokatha and Ngarrindjeri).[5] He shares a relation to Australian Football Hall of Fame inductee and 1993 Brownlow Medalist Gavin Wanganeen[6] as well as being the first cousin of former AFL player Danyle Pearce.[7] As a child, Rankine played an array of sports which included basketball, rugby and tennis but eventually chose to focus on Australian rules football.[8] He grew up playing junior football for Edwardstown and Flinders Park before being given the opportunity to rise through the junior ranks at SANFL club West Adelaide.

In 2016, he played his first senior SANFL game for West Adelaide at the age of 16 and kicked two goals on debut.[9][10] He was later selected to represent South Australia in the 2017 and 2018 AFL Under 18 Championships where he was named in the All-Australian team both years and played a crucial role in South Australia's 2018 national championship.[11] Rankine attended Henley High School throughout his teenage years, where he played school football[12] alongside future Gold Coast teammate Jack Lukosius[13] and the pair were very influential in winning the 2018 SA Schools Championship.[14]

AFL career

Rankine was drafted by the Gold Coast Suns with the third pick in the 2018 AFL draft.[15] Persistent hamstring and hip injuries prevented him from making his AFL debut in 2019[16] but the Suns showed faith in Rankine by agreeing to a two-year contract extension which tied him to the club until the end of 2022.[17] Rankine made his AFL debut against the Melbourne Demons in round 6 of the 2020 AFL season and impressed with a three-goal performance,[18] which earned him the round 6 AFL Rising Star nomination.[19]

Personal life

In his spare time, Rankine enjoys making music.[20][21] His cousin, Chaye, is in a relationship with Gold Coast teammate Sean Lemmens[22] and the couple's daughter, Rhaea, is Rankine's second niece.[23]

References
  1. "Four vying for No.1 spot in AFL draft". SBS News. 16 November 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  2. "Izak Rankine is nothing short of a magician - AFL Twitter Page". Australian Football League. 23 October 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  3. "The magician': Get to know Izak Rankine". Australian Football League. 28 October 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  4. https://www.afl.com.au/news/133001/weird-footy-nicknames-so-why-do-they-call-gov-brackets
  5. "AFL Players' Indigenous Map 2020" (PDF). AFL Players Association. 2 June 2020. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  6. Edsall, Rudi (22 November 2018). "Triple M: 2018 AFL Draft Live Blog". Adelaide Now. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  7. Di Pietro, Kavisha (13 July 2020). "Emerging Sun no ordinary Rankine file". AFL Players Association. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  8. Turner, Matt (25 July 2017). "AFL Draft prospect Izak Rankine catches talent scouts' eyes while playing for SANFL side West Adelaide and South Australia". Adelaide Now. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  9. Waterworth, Ben (11 July 2020). "A 'once in a generation' player is about to be unleashed: Brace yourself for Izak Rankine". Fox Sports Australia.
  10. Milbank, Zac (8 August 2016). "Rankine revels on debut". westadelaidefc.com.au.
  11. Balmer, Matt (8 August 2016). "Under 18 All-Australian team announced: Including Izak Rankine, Jack Lukosius and Sam Walsh". Fox Sports Australia.
  12. "Izak Rankine kicks a ripper for Henley High School". South Australian National Football League. 30 August 2017.
  13. "SA stars Jack Lukosius and Izak Rankine vow to support each other at struggling Gold Coast". Adelaide Now. 22 November 2018.
  14. "Lukosius, Rankine lead Henley to first football championship since 1980". Adelaide Now. 21 August 2018.
  15. "Raring Rankine ready to go". goldcoastfc.com.au. 22 November 2018.
  16. "Debut on hold again for young Suns gun Rankine". The Age. 19 March 2020.
  17. McClure, Sam (10 July 2019). "Gun of the Suns Rankine re-signs". The Age.
  18. Thorne, Brendon (11 July 2020). "Melbourne Demons see off Gold Coast Suns despite Izak Rankine magic on debut". ABC News.
  19. Twomey, Callum (13 July 2020). "Ranking Rankine: Rising Star rates his three debut goals". Australian Football League.
  20. "Izak Rankine killed this rendition of Fast Car". 7AFL Twitter Profile. 30 May 2019.
  21. "Cater 2 U - Destiny's Child". Izak Rankine Instagram Profile. 22 June 2020.
  22. "AFL.com.au's time inside the SUNS". Gold Coast Suns. 9 May 2019.
  23. "Gold Coast Suns Izak Rankine and Sean Lemmens open up about stripping weight ahead of the 2020 AFL season". Gold Coast Bulletin. 22 January 2020.
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