The Gold Coast Suns are determined to keep hold of Izak Rankine, Jack Lukosius and Ben King, who are all set to fall out of contract at the end of the 2022 AFL campaign.
The Suns are priced at 11/2 to finish in the top eight of the AFL and play finals in 2022 but until the trio are locked into new contracts speculation over their future will also rumble on in the year ahead.
Key signatures
All three players arrived in the 2018 NAB AFL Draft and all three could leave the club at the end of the season unless fresh terms can be hammered out.
The trio will have to decide if the Gold Coast Suns are the club to realise their ambitions, but coach Stuart Dew believes they are and is confident of keeping hold of his starlets.
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"We certainly feel we're the place for them," Dew told AFL.com.au. "We're confident we can facilitate their careers, hitting the high notes they want and crave."
But one thing Dew insists the club will not do is rush the process and says they will keep calm heads to find a solution that suits all parties.
He added: "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."
Rankine hopes
Rankine has had his ups and downs over the three years since being drafted and was dropped from the side in 2021 following some disappointing displays.
However Dew is confident the player will bounce back in 2021 and is equally confident the player will end up committing his future to the club.
"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."
