Young guns Izak Rankine and Jack Lukosius set to leave a mark on SANFL before AFL beckons

IF you could only choose one player for your football team, would you select West Adelaide speedster Izak Rankine or Woodville-West Torrens forward Jack Lukosius?

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IT is a little like asking a parent to pick between their two children.

If you could only choose one player for your football team, would you select West Adelaide speedster Izak Rankine or Woodville-West Torrens forward Jack Lukosius?

New SA under-18 coach and academy manager Tony Bamford, who will mentor both players during the mid-year national championships, says it is too close to call.

West Adelaide's Izak Rankine. Picture: AAP/Roy VanDerVegt

Jack Lukosius celebrates a goal with Jared Petrenko in last year’s preliminary final. Picture Sarah Reed

And the AFL scouts he speaks to think the same about the duo, who both loom as top-five prospects at November’s draft.

“Those guys come around once every 10 years in terms of talent,” said Bamford, who has replaced Brenton Phillips as SA under-18 coach.

“The clubs we’ve spoken to so far and picked their brains about what they see, everyone has a different answer.

“One will say ‘this guy would be our first choice’ then the next day you’ll talk to a different club and they’ll say the other player.

“If both are still available (in the draft), it’ll come down to what their list needs, I think.”

The two young guns turned heads last year in both league action and the national under-18 titles.

Rankine finished the junior championships as the only underage player to be named in the tournament’s all-Australian squad.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InU_x2QTN9k

Lukosius’s breakout moment came during the SANFL preliminary final when he slotted four goals in the Eagles’ 20-point loss to eventual premier Sturt.

“They’re both really unique talents and both bring different skillets to the game,” Bamford said. “But underlying all that is they’re both fantastic teenagers.

“They’re engaging, show respect to those around them and know that they’re just one small part of a big team.

“I’m really excited about coaching them obviously and trying to help them along the journey.”

One of Bamford’s first in-game decisions with Rankine and Lukosius was to play them in unfamiliar positions during a state under-18 internal trial.

Rankine became a small defender and Lukosius roamed at centre half-back, giving them a chance to learn different aspects of the game while teammates featured in the pair’s usual spots.

“To appeal to AFL clubs, you have to do more than one thing,” Bamford said.

“Both of those guys will be able to play a number of roles at AFL level once they find their feet in the system.”

Jack Lukosius in action for South Australia last year. Picture Roger Wyman

Izak Rankine playing for South Australia in the 2017 U18 AFL Championships. Picture: Michael Dodge/Getty Images

Rankine and Lukosius are near certainties to be drafted but it is too early to predict how many other AFL players SA can expect to produce this year.

There were 10 draftees out of the SANFL last year, up from six in 2016.

Helping under-18 players get to the elite level and the team performing well at the national titles are among Bamford’s aims, yet he is also keen to develop 100 and 200-game SANFL veterans.

“Drafting numbers are really important for a SANFL perspective but I’ve got a strong philosophy that we promote SANFL league level as hard as we promote the AFL because numbers will tell us that most of these guys won’t get a chance to play AFL,” he said.

Bamford, a Port Adelaide premiership player and former Magpies coach, comes into his new role on the back of leading South Adelaide’s under-18s to top spot at the end of last year’s minor round with 15 wins.

The Panthers’ juniors have perennially struggled and recorded just two victories in 2012, the season before Bamford’s arrival.

“I really enjoyed my five years at South Adelaide, but it was time to do something different that was going to challenge me,” he said.

“Getting the chance to coach the best under-18 players in the state is obviously very appealing.”