“I'm usually a cool kind of character but I have slipped up a couple of times,’’ says potential No. 1 draft prospect Izak Rankine
SOUTH Australian teenage sensation Izak Rankine says he is learning to control his on-field aggression and thanked his teammates for “having my back’’.
- Stone the Crows: Do we need a South Aussie war cry?
- Rankine pushes draft case as Croweaters smash Vics
- Road to the draft: Year of the Croweater
- The next generation: SA’s budding footy stars
SOUTH Australian teenage sensation Izak Rankine says he is learning to control his on-field aggression and thanked his teammates for “having my back’’.
The electrifying small forward/midfielder — the star of the Croweaters’ stunning AFL under-18 division one championships win — has admitted to “slipping up a couple of times’’ during games.
But he said he is working hard to keep his cool in the heat of battle as he vies with SA teammate and Henley High classmate Jack Lukosius to be the first South Australian picked at this year’s draft and possibly No. 1 overall.
“I’m still learning about the game and everything that comes with that but I think I'm heading in the right direction,’’ Rankine said.
INTERACTIVE FEATURE: MEET THE NEXT GENERATION OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA’S BUDDING FOOTY STARS
“I’ve grown a lot through this (under-18) tournament and through playing with the West Adelaide boys at league level.
“They’ve had my back the whole way through and it's been a good learning experience for me.’’
Rankine, 18, kicked five goals in SA’s championship deciding win against Vic Metro on Wednesday to thrust his name right into No. 1 draft contention.
But he has had some on-field discipline problems in school and league football, giving away unnecessary free kicks at crucial times, including in the Bloods’ one-point loss to Norwood in round 10.
“I'm usually not like that, I'm usually a cool kind of character but I have slipped up a couple of times,’’ Rankine said.
“But I've learnt a lot of lessons in the past year and will continue to grow moving forward.’’
Crows key forward Josh Jenkins worked closely with Rankine during SA’s under-18 championship run, marshalling the forwards.
He described Rankine as “a special guy’’.
“I know there’s been some talk around some of his issues but I can’t speak highly enough of him,’’ Jenkins said.
“He’s always really respectful and receptive and really keen to learn and improve. He’s a terrific kid whose talent speaks for itself and I would love it if he could end up at the Crows.’’
Rankine, who models his game on Adelaide’s Eddie Betts and just-retired Hawk Cyril Rioli., and Eagles key forward Lukosius say there is no rivalry between them as to who will go higher in the draft.
“I wouldn’t look at us as rivals, we’re close mates and school mates who play footy with and against each other while having fun,’’ he said.
Saturday’s clash between the bottom two sides Brisbane and Carlton at the Gabba will go a long way towards deciding which team finishes bottom.
Already there are twitter hashtags titled #tankinforrankine and #atrociousforlukosius but the two teenagers aren’t buying into the social media banter.
“We’re good mates who are just looking after each other and having heaps of fun, we’re not too worried about who goes when in the draft,’’ Lukosius said.