After coming off the bench for the Titans against the Newcastle Knights in round 22, Rankin became the third youngest player to make their debut in Australian first-grade rugby league at the age of 16 years and 238 days. The previous two players to do so were Billy Slater and Cooper Cronk. Rankin had earlier been named in Australia's under-18 team but was replaced by another rookie after he suffered a leg injury during training. He made his debut just three days before his 17th birthday. Rankin played only one match for the Titans before being forced out with injury. He returned for the final game of the season as a replacement player but did not score any points. After playing eight matches in all, Rankin announced his retirement from rugby league due to injury on 23 November 2017. He has since worked as a security guard at the Gold Coast Titans office building. The youngest player ever selected in an NRL squad was Cameron King, who made his debut for the New Zealand Warriors aged 15 years and 233 days in 2004. The following year, Andrew Walker became the first teenager to play for Queensland when he made four appearances for the Cowboys. In 2006, Sam Perrett made his debut for Canberra at the age of 16 years and 311 days - this record is still standing.