3 minute read

Gold Coast vice-captain Touk Miller says Izak Rankine is back on track after a hamstring injury prevented the young star from making his AFL debut in round one.

Gold Coast expect limitations around access to the AFL club's medical staff will extend Izak Rankine's rehabilitation process after his latest hamstring injury.

However, they are confident their highly-rated teenager is making progress.

Rankine missed out on making his long-awaited AFL debut in round one after suffering a minor setback during the week leading up to the 47-point defeat to Port Adelaide on March 21.

Suns vice-captain Touk Miller said his 19-year-old teammate was on the mend and would be fit to return to action whenever the AFL season is cleared to resume after the coronavirus shutdown.

"He's doing fine," Miller told reporters on Wednesday.

"The injury is a funny one because it's not like you have the facilities that you do at the club and the medical treatment that you can receive on a daily basis.

"I know that his process will probably be a bit longer than it would be if it was fulltime at the club but, from all reports and from what I've heard from him, he's tracking really well.

"He'd be back running. In those first few weeks you're normally back running anyway with a hamstring but he's up and moving for sure."

Rankine's latest injury followed a disrupted 2019 season for the No.3 draft pick.

The South Australian product managed just two pre-season and three reserve games last year because of hip and hamstring complaints that derailed his campaign.

In July, Rankine became the first of several recent high-end draft picks to sign a contract extension, which ties him to the Suns until at least the end of 2022.