Adelaide List Manager Justin Reid says securing Izak Rankine is the Club’s main priority for the 2022 trade period.
The AFL’s trade period kicks off on Monday and, last month, Rankine informed the Crows of his desire to join the Club.
Speaking on AFL Trade Radio on Friday, Reid said the Club was pleased to have the South Australian local, who had played 48 games and kicked 57 goals for the Suns, choose to continue his career with Adelaide.
“Izak is the priority, we want to get him into the football Club and we’ll work through that with Gold Coast,” Reid said.
“We knew he (Rankine) was a high-end talent coming through the South Australian pathway and he’s a massive Crows fan.
“We’ve kept in contact with his management throughout and I think he played this year on Adelaide Oval - Port Adelaide v Gold Coast - and it may have sparked something that probably left the door open for us.
“We are rapt that Izak is keen to get to the Adelaide Football Club and back to South Australia and hopefully we can work through that over the next week for him.”
Reid said discussions had begun with Gold Coast list management to work out the most fair deal for both clubs.
“We’ve had a few discussions with Gold Coast and I think they are heading in the right direction,” Reid said.
“Obviously Pick No.5 is sitting there and we are just, I guess, working through what that looks like.
“We’ll catch up a bit more next week and work through what that looks like as we get closer to the deadline.
“Certainly Pick No.5 is a very good pick and we’ll work through that together.”
Reid believed Rankine’s addition would add plenty to a young and exciting forward line.
“Josh (Rachele) is rapt to have a calibre of Izak come to the football Club,” Reid said.
“We are always keen on looking at high-end talent and trying to bring that into the football Club and obviously South Australians we keep a real close eye on.
“Certainly that forward line with Riley Thilthorpe, (Shane) McAdam, it’s starting to develop.
“We are very young in that space outside of Tex (Taylor Walker).
“It just takes time to build that cohesion and bring that model together.”
The AFL Trade Period begins on Monday and ends on Wednesday, October 12, at 7pm (ACST).
