Izak Rankine announces himself to the AFL world with a stunning three-goal debut in Gold Coast’s loss to Melbourne

A jittery Melbourne overcame its own demons to score a 17-point win over Gold Coast, but Suns debutant Izak Rankine might have made a sizeable down payment on this year’s AFL Rising Star award in the process

A JITTERY Melbourne overcame its own demons to score a 17-point win over Gold Coast, but Suns debutant Izak Rankine might have made a sizeable down payment on this year’s AFL Rising Star award in the process.

Playing his first AFL game almost 600 days after being drafted in late 2018, Rankine threatened to steal the game away from the Demons with three goals and a few late chances he couldn’t quite convert.

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The 20-year-old one-time No.3 draft pick provided a spark for the Suns, but it wasn’t enough to stop Melbourne from making it eight consecutive wins against Gold Coast.

Matt Rowell was $1.01 to win the Rising Star before suffering a potentially season-ending shoulder injury last week; now his Suns teammate might be next in line.

Melbourne desperately needed this win after a week of intense criticism. While it was a scratchy performance, it was at least a big step forward in the right direction.

Izak Rankine of the Suns kicks celebrates after kicking his first AFL goal during the round 6 AFL match between the Melbourne Demons and the Gold Coast Suns at GIANTS Stadium on July 11, 2020 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)

Max Gawn gave the Demons first use, Jack Viney and Clayton Oliver hunted the ball, and Christian Petracca had a game-high 25 touches and his long goal late in the game sealed the victory.

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BROTHERLY LOVE

Demon defender Michael Hibberd kicked his first goal in two years before paying an emotional tribute to his late brother Geoffrey.

Hibberd got a 50m penalty during the second term. He never looked missing, then kissed his black arm band and pointed to the sky in honour of his big brother.

Almost every teammate ran to Hibberd.

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His 33-year-old brother disappeared while fishing with a friend off Victoria‘s coast in April.

At the time, Hibberd wrote of his pain on social media: “I idolised you! You were my hero. You still are!!”

There was plenty of emotion also when Harley Bennell kicked a goal at the end of the game, in his second game back from career-threatening injuries.

TOP RANKINE, TOP MISS

Rankine‘s three goals were all exquisite.

The first came when he pirouetted past James Harmes to slot through a stunning early goal.

He turned it up another notch for his second as he snuck through heavy traffic and threw his foot out for a freakish major in the third term.

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Then another in the last term almost got the Suns off the canvas.

If Rankine‘s three goals were goal of the week contenders, Petracca provided “the miss of the round”.

In the goal square during the second term, he had an “air shot”, missing the ball.

It was “like Percy Jones”, Fox Footy’s Garry Lyon said, casting back to the Carlton big man‘s infamous goal-line miss during the 1980s in the old Army Reserve Cup.

MAY V KING

It was the match-up footy fans wanted for perverse reasons as much as anything else.

Ben King could have been wearing a Melbourne jumper if it hadn’t been for a bold, risky Demons strategy to bring in Steven May from the Suns in late 2018.

The Dees gave up pick six for May and Kade Kolodashnij; the Suns gratefully accepted King, who looks like being one of the gun forwards of the future.

Ben King of the Suns runs the ball during the round 6 AFL match between the Melbourne Demons and the Gold Coast Suns at GIANTS Stadium on July 11, 2020 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

You can’t judge that decision on this game, but the Suns would be happy with their transaction going forward.

It was a good duel to watch with King kicking one goal, while May still had plenty of the ball.

May had to be used forward at times, given Tom McDonald‘s eye injury, but finished the game in defence.

Votes

3: Max Gawn (Melbourne)

2: Jack Viney (Melbourne)

1: Touk Miller (Gold Coast)

BEST

Melbourne: Gawn, Viney, Petracca, Oliver, Langdon, Salem

Gold Coast: Miller, Ballard, Rankine, Greenwood, Lukosius