Izak Rankine is a stoppage savant.

His evasive footwork has already seen him kick some stunning goals in his three games at AFL level and the accolades have come with nominations for the NAB AFL Rising Star, Coates Hire Goal of the Year and the rebel Mark of the Year.

Gold Coast was already a solid team at scoring from stoppages before Rankine's inclusion, with Jarrod Witts giving first use to clean inside midfielders in David Swallow and Hugh Greenwood.

The addition of Rankine has added the extra dimension that the SUNS lacked before – a smooth mover who can create separation from his opponent in traffic and break open games within the blink of an eye.

In rounds one to five, the SUNS were ranked seventh in the league at scoring from forward 50 stoppages.

Since Rankine's debut, the SUNS have jumped to first in the league in that stat, scoring 14 points a game from forward 50 stoppages across the last three games.

It's the footwork and reading of the play that make Rankine a guru around set plays.

Against Melbourne, Rankine identified that Ed Langdon was the free Demon in a safe space that Max Gawn would likely tap the ball down to.

Neville Jetta paid Rankine the utmost respect, but Rankine got the veteran defender off balance with a quick jab step and shook him before Jetta could even realise what happened.

Opposition teams know they need to shark Gawn's hitouts, but only the elite could have done it with the poise and craft that Rankine did.

Fellow 2018 draft class member Nick Blakey did not give Rankine the same attention that Jetta did and paid dearly for it.

Instead of standing side-by-side with Rankine, he ducked under Greenwood to try and cut off the angle but he was too slow.

The classic 'front and centre' small forward mantra isn't lost on Rankine either, but he uses his guile to make even misses look good.

When he realised he was out of position in this marking contest in the game against the Swans, he undercut Ben King leaving Robbie Fox and Harry Cunningham in his wake before picking up the crumbs for himself.

Rankine is already one of the most watchable players in the league, but it's more than highlight reels.

Adding veterans like Greenwood and Brandon Ellis have raised Gold Coast's floor, but Rankine is one of the rare players that has raised its ceiling instantly.