Gold Coast's poor start to 2021 - winning just one game against bottom-placed North Melbourne - has fuelled speculation that more young guns could look to leave the club.

Port Adelaide great Kane Cornes has encouraged his former club to target Suns young guns Izak Rankine and Jack Lukosius, who are both from South Australia.

The Suns has previously seen the likes of Dion Prestia, Steven May and Tom Lynch move to rival clubs to pursue success.

Essendon champion Matthew Lloyd raised the issue on Channel Nine's Footy Classified,ย looking at past players who have left the under performing club.

โ€œWhen youโ€™re 11 goals down at half-time, you start to ask the question of yourself as a young player,โ€ Lloyd said.

โ€œAll talented footballers would have mates playing at better clubs in front of big crowds and when youโ€™re losing time and time and time again, thatโ€™s why Steven May and Tom Lynch left the football club.โ€

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Former co-captain Tom Lynch left the club in 2018, going on to win back to back premierships with the Tigers in 2019 and 2020.

Lynch, joined by Steven May and Gary Ablett, became the third Suns captain to leave the club.

In response to Lloyd's comments, Cornes singled out Rankine and Lukosius as ideal targets for the Power to pursue - who both come out of contract at the end of 2022.

Lukosius and Rankine were both drafted out of South Australia in 2018, selected with Picks 2 and 3 respectively.

Cornes believes seeing players from their fellow 2018 draft class play in marquee matches for rival clubs could lure them out of the Gold Coast.

โ€œWhen they see the guys they were drafted with playing on the MCG in front of 50,000 and playing finals,โ€ Cornes said.

"I know Port Adelaide has been linked to Zach Merrett and these types of players, but I would be going that hard after Izak Rankine and Jack Lukosius as a Port Adelaide fan saying โ€˜weโ€™ll get you back, youโ€™ll play in front of 35,000, weโ€™re going to have success for the next five years, itโ€™s better than being up there losing every week and turning up to training depressed and playing in front of 6,000โ€™.โ€

2 COMMENTS

  1. … they both grew up as Crows fans. Rankine was a “train on” rookie with the Crows as well.

    If they were to return home they might have their own preference as to where they go, possibly (in spite of Kane’s wishes) not with the filth.

  2. I should add, at Adelaide they’ play in front of 45,000 (consistently) rather than 35,000 spasmodically. They’ll “Never tear up the Tarps” …. but tarps don’t cheer players on……

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