IT WAS the three-quarter time conversation that encapsulated Izak Rankine.

With his influence limited for much of last Saturday night's Showdown victory over arch rival Yartapuulti, Rankine was locked in discussion with Kuwarna's midfield coach Nathan Van Berlo at the game's final break. 

"He wasn't having his most influential game," Van Berlo told AFL.com.au this week.

"But, knowing how special a talent he is and the role that he can play for us, we spoke about having important moments in the last quarter. You don't have to have your best day, but you can have some special moments that can impact on the game."

For one of the rare times this year, it hadn't been working for Rankine the midfielder. So, he became Rankine the forward. Thrown into attack, the Kuwarna superstar changed the game within 12 seconds and three kicks.

With the Crows just nine points ahead, Rankine cruised past Reilly O'Brien for the handball receive and produced a classy finish on the run. Only 12 seconds of game time had elapsed before he crumbed Jordan Dawson's entry from the resulting centre-bounce and instinctively delivered a soccer off the ground to add another.

It might not have been his night, but this was his moment. Almost singlehandedly, Rankine had pushed a slender nine-point lead into a comfortable 21-point advantage. He had helped provide the buffer that would ultimately prove so crucial later in the evening when Yartapuulti made its gallant late fightback.

It was also the reason why Van Berlo, in his role as midfield assistant, had gone through countless debates with Kuwarna's forwards coach Scott Burns ever since Rankine arrived at the club. Van Berlo battled hard for him to be a full-time midfielder. Burns had continued to advocate strongly for him to be a full-time forward.

"That has been a constant debate at match committee every week," Van Berlo laughed.

"As the midfield coach, I wanted him around the footy. Scott Burns, as our forward line coach, wanted him ahead of the ball. Yes, we hope that he can give us something around the footy and he's certainly been able to do that.

"But, on the weekend, he obviously wasn't having his most dominant performance around the midfield, so we sent him forward for the last quarter and he was able to turn the momentum of the game in the space of about two or three minutes. Having that lever to pull with him, and the versatility, is so important."

This year, finally, Van Berlo has won that argument. Where Rankine had been used predominantly as a forward through his first five years in the AFL system – Champion Data notes he spent 86 per cent game time in attack in his first two years at Kuwarna – this season has seen his role reversed.

Rankine has a 68-32 per cent split in favour of his midfield minutes so far this year, where the remarkable versatility that underpins his game has been evident in more damaging and unique ways than ever.

Yes, he provides a classy outside player with an impressive skillset. That's reflected in Rankine being rated by Champion Data as 'above average' for metres gained (375m), score assists (1.4) and score involvements (7.0) among all midfielders so far this year.

Importantly, Rankine also hasn't lost his scoreboard impact since moving into the midfield. Since arriving at the Crows, he has had 20-plus disposals and two-plus goals on 11 different occasions. Only three players – Chad Warner, Marcus Bontempelli and Isaac Heeney – have done so more. It's elite company to be in.

But, crucially, that hasn't come at the expense of Rankine developing a stellar inside game. Champion Data also rates him as 'above average' for contested possessions (12.3), groundball gets (8.2) and clearances (5.6) this season.

Rankine has combined games of 25 disposals and two goals against Geelong and 29 disposals and two goals against Carlton, with games of 19 contested possessions against North Melbourne and 18 contested possessions against Gold Coast.

"That's what we've seen a lot of, particularly in the first 10 rounds, is his ability to complement the likes of Jordan Dawson, Matt Crouch and Jake Soligo on the inside to give them an outlet and a release player," Van Berlo said.

"His ability to create and really just make every touch count in and around the contest has been so important for us. He's even had games, when you look back to the Gold Coast game, where he has highly contested games. He's able to do both, which is pretty unique for a guy like him.

"But he's used to being closely monitored as a forward and gets some close attention, so his body work and being in the contest is nothing new for him. His ability to be able to balance out his game nicely has been a huge addition for him."

The decision to pull the trigger and move Rankine's magnet into the midfield might have, on the surface, felt like an easy one for Kuwarna. But it was still laced with danger. Taking a natural goalkicker out of the attack, after he had delivered 65 goals in his first two seasons at the club, is never an easy call.

But the shift has also helped the side's attacking potency. Despite his vastly increased midfield minutes, Rankine has still kicked multiple goals in five of his nine games so far this year, while he's added his name to the scoresheet in seven of nine appearances.

According to Champion Data, the Crows have also retained the ball from 59 per cent of Rankine's kicks inside-50 this season and have taken a mark from 31 per cent of his forward-50 kicks. Both rank as being the fourth best in the League.

Such numbers depict the value of a superstar who can do just about anything and everything. Whether it's to go forward and change a game, as he did on Saturday night, or play through the midfield and impact as both an inside or an outside threat.

"He always said, from the day he walked through the doors here, 'I'm going to play in the midfield and I want to play in the midfield'. The end-goal was always for him to be that full-time midfielder," Van Berlo said.

"What people might not see with Izak is that he's got an unbelievable capacity to run, not just at high speed but he can cover the ground really well. He obviously can make elite decisions. His ability to work both ways and at high speed is up there with some of the best midfielders in the competition, I'd imagine.

"That's a pretty unique attribute for a guy who had come in as a small forward. But we knew he had the capacity and, to his credit, he put a lot of work into the craft side of things and now we see where he's at playing some regular midfield minutes. He has been so influential in that role."