Adelaide Crows set to make bold play to bring South Australian Jack Lukosius home from Gold Coast

Jordan Dawson, Izak Rankine and, now, Jack Lukosius? The Crows could be about to pull off another recruiting raid after meeting with the South Australian star.

Adelaide is making a bold play to bring South Australian Jack Lukosius home.

It is understood Crows coach Matthew Nicks met the 24-year-old swingman on the Gold Coast last week as the club attempts to pull off its third major recruiting raid in four years.

Lukosius, who was drafted from SANFL club Woodville-West Torrens with pick 2 at the 2018 AFL national draft, is contracted for two more seasons, but could be gettable after appearing to fall out of favour at the Suns.

The 195cm key utility was dropped from the Gold Coast team for last Saturday’s round 22 clash against Essendon for the first time in his 115-game, 77-goal career.

One of his key forward line replacements, Mac Andrew, kicked four goals, including the matchwinner after the final siren, while other key forwards Ben King (three goals) and Jed Walter (two) booted five majors between them.

Lukosius, though highly rated, could be available for trade as the Suns attempt to balance their books to bring triple premiership-winning Richmond playmaker Daniel Rioli to the club to reunite with his Tigers flag coach Damien Hardwick.

Rioli had a career-high 36 disposals against the Saints on Sunday and won’t come cheaply.

Jack Lukosius was dropped for the first time in his career last week. Picture: Brendon Thorne/AFL Photos

The Crows swooped on captain Jordan Dawson from Sydney in the 2021 trade period and, a year later, grabbed Izak Rankine from the Suns.

Rankine was taken one spot below Lukosius at the 2018 draft.

Lukosius, who has kicked 60 goals in the past two seasons for Gold Coast, has been on the Crows’ radar ever since he was drafted, but speculation has increased in recent weeks that he could become available in this year’s exchange period.

Former Adelaide and Geelong forward Josh Jenkins said on SEN last week that he believed Lukosius is “less than a 50 per cent chance” to be at the Suns next season.

Lukosius is believed to be happy on the Gold Coast and enjoys the laidback lifestyle of being a footballer in the Sunshine State.

He signed a four-year contract extension midway through 2022, saying “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else”.

But after being moved all around the ground by Hardwick – and now being dropped –Lukosius, who has a preference to play forward, is almost certain to have questioned his position at the club.

Lukosius and Izak Rankine with their new Suns teammate Sam Flanders at the 2018 draft. Picture: Image/Michael Dodge

Adelaide could only watch on in 2018 as Gold Coast pounced on two of the most-highly-touted junior products to ever come out of SA with its first two picks of the national draft.

Lukosius went first, the Suns taking the Henley High School product with the second overall selection after Carlton drafted midfielder Sam Walsh with pick 1.

A generational key forward with running patterns out of Nick Riewoldt’s playbook was a pre-draft assessment of Lukosius, who booted four goals in his SANFL league debut as a 17-year-old in a preliminary final against Sturt.

Rankine went next.

The kid, who some say is the most talented player the state has produced, was running rings around men at 16, and capped off his SANFL career with three goals and 12 score involvements before being drafted.

What happened after that has been pulled apart ever since.

After Port Adelaide took future captain Connor Rozee at pick 5, the Crows drafted Chayce Jones (pick 9) and Ned McHenry (16) in the first round.

But forget that for the moment – it’s not about them now.

It’s about what might happen next.

Is the ending to the movie the Crows were forced to watch about to be completely rewritten?

First, Adelaide took back Rankine in a 2022 trade.

Will the Crows flip the script completely and reunite the pair this year?

Then there’s the other question, what’s he worth?

Lukosius made things look easy at junior level and, at times, he still does – that laconic, yet text book, kicking action can be irresistible.

But he’s been called out for taking things too easy during his time on the Gold Coast, with Fox Footy’s David King taking aim at Lukosius’ defensive efforts last year.

“You know why he’s a whipping boy? Because he puts in efforts like this. This destroys any form of culture you have at your footy club,” King said of Lukosius’ decision not to chase Bomber Nic Martin in round 2.

“It makes me wonder: Is Jack the sickness or the cure? Is he there to correct this problem and take this club forward? He’s on big money and he’s been a high draft pick and all those things, but in the end, you act your way in and out of a footy club.”

Lukosius in action for Woodville West-Torrens in 2018. Picture SARAH REED

And kicking for goal this year. Picture: Brendon Thorne/AFL Photos/via Getty Images

It’s that competitiveness that might make a potential suitor think twice.

But at 195cm, his skill set is rare.

“Jack’s a very special talent,” long-time AFL talent ambassador Kevin Sheehan said before that draft.

He wouldn’t command anything near the selection he was taken with, but it would be hard for both SA clubs not to be, at least, interested.

The Power’s list is in a very different spot, compared to its cross-town rival.

Does it need another lead-up forward alongside Todd Marshall? Probably not.

But add Lukosius’ strengths to any contender, and it probably makes them better, especially if you’re a contender that loses Dan Houston’s kicking off half-back, given he has been linked with a return back to Victoria.

With the Crows building its next-gen forward line around Riley Thilthorpe and Darcy Fogarty, Lukosius might be the icing on the cake as the third tall at West Lakes in the post-Taylor Walker era – whenever that comes.

Throw in potential father-son selection Tyler Welsh and Crows fans would be excited about the club’s attacking future.

But what’s the asking price?

Or, more poignantly, what is another club willing to pay?

It depends. Are you paying for the 24-year-old, 39-goal forward from 2023 or the guy dropped by a team out of the finals race?

As they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder – in a footy sense.

Originally published as Adelaide Crows set to make bold play to bring South Australian Jack Lukosius home from Gold Coast