GOLD Coast coach Stuart Dew has "no doubt" Izak Rankine will remain with his club beyond 2022.
Rankine is one of three Suns taken in the top-10 of the 2018 NAB AFL Draft – Jack Lukosius and Ben King being the others – that come out of contract at season's end.
Dew told AFL.com.au he understood scrutiny would be there all year.
"We certainly feel we're the place for them," he said.
"We're confident we can facilitate their careers, hitting the high notes they want and crave."
Dew was particularly bullish when asked directly about Rankine's future, confident he would bounce back from a tough 2021.
"Yeah, yeah, I’ve got no doubt that Izak sees himself as a Gold Coast Sun," Dew said.
"That’s great for us, it’s also good for him. We think this is a great place for him to play his footy.”
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Rankine has had a rollercoaster three seasons since being selected at No.3 in the draft.
The 21-year-old missed most of his first year with recurring hamstring problems, dazzled the AFL public in 2020 with a host of jaw-dropping highlights, and was then dropped last season after some below-par performances.
He has got through a full pre-season for the second straight year and Dew believes he's ready to recapture his best form.
"Often younger players when they come in, they're unsure of their capabilities physically," Dew said.
"They might be saving themselves for different parts of the game.
"I think Izak's starting to learn he can go as hard as he wants, he can recover, then go again.
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"We're all a better team when Izak's playing with freedom and getting to good spots.
"His front-and-square work is great to see, but his decision making with the ball is underrated because you see the highlights."
"In the AFL you've just got to keep showing up, and someone with the tools he's got and the skills, if he does that, he's going to impact games for sure."
Dew said Gold Coast was not rushing the process with Rankine, Lukosius and King.
"I know as soon as it rolls into the next year there's this fever pitch of anxiety around January, February, but the players themselves want to make sure they're in good shape too.
"It is a partnership and I think that gets lost, particularly with our club.
"We've changed the outlook where players are saying "what can you do for me" … one thing I'm proud of at this footy club is this is not an entitled footy club now.
"The better we help them and the more they help us, in the end it's just we, it's not them and us, and that's the feeling we get across the board."
