Port Adelaide has warned the Gold Coast to avoid taking South Australian talent with their high draft picks in this year's NAB AFL Draft, declaring they would chase them to return home.
Gold Coast have picks No.2 and No.3 this year and may use them to grab highly fancied youngsters Jack Lukosius or Izak Rankine, however Port Adelaide list manager Jason Cripps said the Suns should be cautious.
"If Lukosius and Rankine end up going to Gold Coast, we're probably pretty happy to try to get them back in a few years' time," Cripps said on AFL Trade Radio on Monday morning.
"It's interesting, because then it just becomes a two-horse race between us and the Crows, as opposed to a Victorian kid that wants to come back home, who has potentially got 10 options.
"That's part of the discussion and strategy, but right at the minute, we're really comfortable with pick six."
Gold Coast have famously struggled to keep top end talent from interstate, losing names such as Gary Ablett, Jaeger O'Meara, Dion Prestia and most recently Tom Lynch.
