Why it’s not fair to force the best young talent to join the struggling Gold Coast Suns
CROWEATERS stars Izak Rankine and Jack Lukosius could be forced to go to the Gold Coast at the 2018 AFL draft - but why should they go when the clubs captains are allowed to walk away, asks Dwayne Russell.
- Pyke: Crows on right path despite loss
- Adelaide finals hopes fade with loss to Tigers
- Special report: What will footy look like in 2019?
IF It’s fair for two Gold Coast captains in a row to abandon the Suns sinking ship, it’s also fair for young star draftees like South Australian duo Izak Rankine and Jack Lukosius to question what it will mean to their careers if they board that leaky boat.
MEET THE NEXT GENERATION OF SOUTH AUSTRAIA’S BUDDING STARS
It now appears almost certain current Suns co-captain Tom Lynch will leave for either Collingwood, Hawthorn or Richmond at the end of this season.
That’s on top of previous captain Gary Ablett escaping for Geelong last summer, and talk the Suns other co-captain, Stephen May, might also skip town in a year.
The concern for Rankine and Lukosius, who could be drafted to the Suns later this year, is how bright and successful their futures will be, and how well they will be developed at the AFL’s perennially failing and experimental franchise.
It would be fair for any potential draftee with a fear of heading into any new environment, to voice those fears in private to that club’s recruiters. It’s not draft tampering if you are honest in your interview. In fact, it should be an obligation. Especially given the AFL is likely to introduce live trading of draft picks at this year’s draft, to allow clubs to make last-second trades and bids for specific picks.
If either Rankine or Lukosius have a keenness to eventually be back in South Australia, they should state it clearly in their interviews. If they have a desire to play finals and win a premiership, and are desperate to be part of a respected club that plays in front of big crowds and develops players who are admired Australia wide as high achievers, they should have no hesitation in admitting it.
The reality is the Gold Coast Suns need top-class recruits like Rankine and Lukosius, and they need them stay for their entire careers, if the club is to ever prosper.
But the other reality is the mass exodus of Gold Coast draftees during their past seven unsuccessful years is damning. Almost as damning as the fact that in that time, the Suns have not developed any of their draftees into marquee, All-Australian level stars who want to spend their whole career on the coast.
The list of players recruited to the Gold Coast for the club’s debut season in 2011 who have departed to better themselves at other AFL clubs is formidable. Charlie Dixon, Dion Prestia, Josh Caddy, Harley Bennell, Maverick Weller, Brandon Matera, Trent McKenzie, Alex Keath, Tom Hickey and Gary Ablett have all left.
More recent Suns number one pick Jaeger O’Meara, and playmakers Adam Saad and Jarrod Garlett, have also left for greener AFL pastures, while other early and hyped draft picks like Peter Wright and Jack Scrimshaw have not lived up to expectations.
Rankine and Lukosius may be happy to head to the Gold Coast with no fear. And the promise of a successful Gold Coast future under new CEO Mark Evans and new coach Stuart Dew – with renewed AFL backing in previously failing areas – will hopefully come true.
But on the evidence so far, a drafted kid has a better chance of being a successful one-club star if he finds himself at a club with a successful history and a solid development record.
Carlton and the Brisbane Lions are the current frontrunners for this year’s wooden spoon. If I was a draft-age kid, I would have no hesitation in heading to either of those clubs with the confidence of having a genuine shot at long and successful one-club career. But the Suns are a haunted house in the middle of what has proven to be the Bermuda Triangle of Australian sport.
If Lynch leaves, the Suns may end up with three of this year’s first six draft picks.
Rankine and Lukosius are certain to be picked in the top six. And Rankine’s performance for South Australia last Wednesday may have moved him up the list to number one.
AFL rules state that all draftees must sign minimum two-year deals with their new club. And those first two development years are arguably the most important of your AFL life. You don’t want to waste them.