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Rory Sloane
Sloane playing for Adelaide in 2017
Personal information
Full name Rory Brandon Sloane
Date of birth (1990-03-17) 17 March 1990 (age 34)
Place of birth Melbourne, Victoria
Original team(s) Eastern Ranges (TAC Cup)
Draft No. 44, 2008 national draft
Debut Round 20, 2009, Adelaide vs. Hawthorn, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
Height 183 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight 82 kg (181 lb)
Position(s) Midfielder
Playing career
Years Club Games (Goals)
2009–2024 Adelaide 255 (136)
Representative team honours
Years Team Games (Goals)
2020 Victoria 1 (0)
International team honours
2017 Australia 2 (0)
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Rory Brandon Sloane (born 17 March 1990) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Sloane is a dual Malcolm Blight Medallist, was selected in the All-Australian team in 2016, and won a Showdown Medal in 2017. Sloane served as Adelaide co-captain in 2019 and its sole captain from 2020 to 2022.

Early life

[edit]

Rory Brandon Sloane[1] was born on 17 March 1990[2] in Victoria.[3]

Growing up, Sloane supported the St Kilda Football Club.[4] He was first part of TAC Cup side Eastern Ranges under-18 side when he was only 16, and went on to captain Eastern Ranges in 2008. He was drafted by Adelaide with pick 44 in the 2008 AFL draft.[3]

AFL career

[edit]

2009–2012: Early career

[edit]

Sloane strained a medial ligament in his knee prior to the start of the 2009 season but upon returning quickly forced his way into the North Adelaide seniors in the SANFL and showed strong form, prompting Adelaide coach Neil Craig to comment, "He'll be an exciting player for us in the future…our supporters will like Rory Sloane."[5] Sloane made his AFL debut in round 20 against Hawthorn. He did not record a kick but had seven tackles.[6]

Sloane played his second game in round 1, 2010, but sustained a serious ankle injury during the clash against Fremantle which saw him out of the side for several weeks. He returned to play 14 matches for the season, averaging more than 15 disposals as a midfielder.[6] He also signed a new contract with the Crows during the year.[7]

For the second consecutive year, Sloane was injured in the first game in 2011, against Hawthorn, and was sidelined for several weeks with a fractured jaw and broken thumb.[8] After returning, Sloane played out the remainder of the season, averaging 20 disposals and 5 tackles per game, including a 36-possession game against eventual premiers Geelong in round 21. He continued his emergence as a star midfielder in 2012, averaging 22 possessions and earning three Brownlow votes for best-on-ground in crucial wins over Sydney and Fremantle.[9] Midway through the year, he revealed he had signed a three-year deal with the Crows, saying, "The way Brenton [Sanderson] and the rest of the coaching staff have gone about creating this really enjoyable environment for us to be involved in - I think that's a big reason why everyone wants to stay around".[10] Sloane lifted his game yet again in 2013, averaging 23.5 possessions, winning the Malcolm Blight Medal for the best and fairest Crows player, and polling 15 votes in the Brownlow Medal.[9]

2013–2018: Personal and club success

[edit]
Sloane during the 2017 AFL Grand Final parade

Due to the season-ending Achilles injury sustained by captain Nathan van Berlo during pre-season training in 2014, Sloane and Patrick Dangerfield were named as acting co-captains of the Adelaide Football Club for the 2014 season.[11] Sloane continued to thrive in 2014, finishing second in the Malcolm Blight Medal behind Daniel Talia. He played his 100th AFL game in round 23 against St Kilda.[9]

In June 2015, Sloane signed a three-year contract extension with Adelaide, keeping him at the club until 2018.[12] Sloane twice injured his cheekbone during the season, missing a total of five games, but despite that remained one of the club's elite players, finishing sixth in Adelaide's best and fairest.[9]

Sloane had an outstanding year in 2016, averaging 25 disposals and leading the club in contested possessions and tackles.[9] He was considered a contender for the Brownlow Medal before being suspended for rough conduct late in the season, rendering him ineligible for the award.[13] Sloane was rewarded with his second Malcolm Blight Medal as the club's best and fairest player, and was also named vice-captain in the 2016 All-Australian team while being the runner-up in the AFLPA Most Valuable Player award.[14]

Sloane had an outstanding start to 2017, winning the Showdown Medal in round 3[15] and averaging 29.5 disposals per game while the Crows remained undefeated in the first six rounds. He started to struggle when other teams began heavily tagging him, Melbourne notably playing ex-Crow Bernie Vince on him, causing the Crows to lose their next two matches.[16] Sloane worked hard to improve against these tags, but again he struggled against Melbourne in round 17 when Vince kept him to just 8 possessions before he was knocked out in a Dean Kent tackle and sat out the rest of the game.[17] Before Adelaide's qualifying final against Greater Western Sydney, Sloane had surgery to have his appendix removed and was forced to miss the match.[18] Sloane's strong performances throughout the season were respected by his teammates, who nominated him for both the AFL Players' Association MVP Award and the Most Courageous Award.[19]

Sloane's future was up in the air during the 2018 season as multiple clubs were eager to lure him back to his home state in Victoria, with Collingwood looming as a likely suitor. However, in a move that surprised many, Sloane re-signed for a further five years to commit the rest of his career to Adelaide.[20]

2019–2024: Captaincy and late career

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Sloane post-match with Victoria in 2020

In 2019, Sloane was appointed as co-captain of the Adelaide Football Club alongside Taylor Walker.

In 2020, Sloane assumed the sole captaincy and in round one played his 200th AFL game against the Sydney Swans at the Adelaide Oval,[21] which the Crows lost by three points.[22] Despite the club's least successful year in their history, Sloane continued to serve as captain during the majority of Adelaide's games and amassed 3 Brownlow votes.

Sloane injured his knee in Adelaide's win over Richmond in round 5 of the 2022 season; scans later confirmed a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament, forcing him to miss the rest of the season.[23] The role of club captain was rotated between Tom Doedee, Ben Keays, Reilly O'Brien and Brodie Smith. Prior to the 2023 season, Sloane handed over the captaincy to emerging recruit Jordan Dawson and stepped down from the leadership group entirely.[24] Sloane played his 250th game in a loss to Greater Western Sydney at the Adelaide Oval in 2023.

Following a mid-season surgery for the same issue in 2021,[25] Sloane again went under surgery for a detached retina. Although his recovery appeared to be progressing better than in 2021,[26] Sloane announced his retirement in April 2024, choosing to prioritise his long-term health and wellbeing.[27] His 255th and final game was played in a narrow loss to Sydney in round 23 of the 2023 season. At the time of his retirement, Sloane had played the 10th-most games of any Adelaide player and amassed the fourth-most Brownlow Medal votes for Adelaide with 108.[28]

In the media

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Sloane features in the 2021 fly-on-the-wall documentary TV series Making Their Mark, which showed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on several AFL clubs, players, and staff.[29][30] Nic Naitanui and Eddie Betts were filmed almost continuously, with other players featured including Stephen Coniglio and Sloane, along with several coaches and other staff associated with the clubs.[31]

Personal life

[edit]

Sloane has an older brother named Dylan and a younger sister named Shae, a former professional footballer for Melbourne[32] and volleyballer for Australia.

Sloane has a strong friendship with fellow draftee Taylor Walker. They played 199 games together for Adelaide until Sloane's retirement in 2024. Their families are very close, with their children being similar ages.

Sloane is husband to wife Belinda Sloane, née Riverso. The couple married in October of 2016.[33] Rory and Belinda had four children together; Leo, Sonny, Bodhi, and Summer.[34] Tragically, the couple's first son Leo was stillborn after the 34th week of pregnancy.[35] Sloane's third son Bodhi has the middle name Leo to commemorate their first.[36]

Statistics

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Legend
  G  
 Goals
  K  
 Kicks
  D  
 Disposals 
  T  
 Tackles
  B  
 Behinds 
  H  
 Handballs 
  M  
 Marks
  †  
 Led the league for 
the season
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game) Votes
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
2009 Adelaide 31 1 0 0 0 6 6 1 7 0.0 0.0 0.0 6.0 6.0 1.0 7.0 0
2010 Adelaide 31 14 7 8 88 124 212 44 49 0.5 0.6 6.3 8.9 15.1 3.1 3.5 0
2011 Adelaide 9 18 11 11 181 184 365 73 91 0.6 0.6 10.1 10.2 20.3 4.1 5.1 4
2012 Adelaide 9 24 19 6 301 222 523 113 101 0.8 0.3 12.5 9.3 21.8 4.7 4.2 11
2013 Adelaide 9 21 12 12 257 237 494 113 83 0.6 0.6 12.2 11.3 23.5 5.4 4.0 15
2014 Adelaide 9 22 13 9 269 252 521 105 147 0.6 0.4 12.2 11.5 23.7 4.8 6.7 10
2015 Adelaide 9 18 11 3 192 208 400 78 100 0.6 0.2 10.7 11.6 22.2 4.3 5.6 4
2016 Adelaide 9 23 13 10 271 309 580 88 163 0.6 0.4 11.8 13.4 25.2 3.8 7.1 24
2017 Adelaide 9 24 20 7 314 267 581 75 187† 0.8 0.3 13.1 11.1 24.2 3.1 7.8 20
2018 Adelaide 9 12 5 5 126 137 263 33 75 0.4 0.4 10.5 11.4 21.9 2.8 6.3 6
2019 Adelaide 9 22 11 9 266 275 541 97 129 0.5 0.4 12.1 12.5 24.6 4.4 5.9 7
2020[a] Adelaide 9 12 5 3 92 97 189 15 49 0.4 0.3 7.7 8.1 15.8 1.3 4.1 3
2021 Adelaide 9 18 3 2 198 204 402 67 87 0.2 0.1 11.0 11.3 22.3 3.7 4.8 2
2022 Adelaide 9 4 0 1 36 36 72 12 17 0.0 0.3 9.0 9.0 18.0 3.0 4.3 0
2023 Adelaide 9 22 6 2 212 187 399 69 113 0.3 0.1 9.6 8.5 18.1 3.1 5.1 2
2024 Adelaide 9 0 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 0
Career[37] 255 136 88 2803 2745 5548 983 1398 0.5 0.3 11.0 10.8 21.8 3.9 5.5 108

Notes

  1. ^ The 2020 season was played with 17 home-and-away matches per team (down from 22) and 16-minute quarters with time on (down from 20-minute quarters with time on) due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Honours and achievements

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Team

Individual

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Gill, Katrina (13 July 2009). "Get to know: Rory Sloane". Adelaide Football Club. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  2. ^ "Rory Sloane". AFL Tables. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  3. ^ a b Clark, John (29 November 2008). "AFL national draft as it happened at Telstra Dome in Melbourne". foxsports.com.au. Fox Sports.
  4. ^ "AFL Trade Period: Former AFL coach believes Collingwood could lure Rory Sloane from Adelaide". Fox Sports Australia. 5 October 2017. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  5. ^ Gill, Katrina (24 July 2009). "There's something about Rory". afc.com.au. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  6. ^ a b "Rory Sloane". afltables.com. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  7. ^ "Young Crows Rory Sloane and Jared Petrenko sign on". Herald Sun. 21 July 2010.
  8. ^ Rucci, Michelangelo (28 March 2011). "Adelaide midfielder Rory Sloane played with broken jaw". The Adelaide Advertiser.
  9. ^ a b c d e "Rory Sloane - AFC.com.au". AFC.com.au. Adelaide Football Club.
  10. ^ "Sloane sticks with Crows". Yahoo.com. 4 June 2012. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
  11. ^ Bednall, Jai (24 January 2014). "Patrick Dangerfield and Rory Sloane will co-captain the Adelaide Crows". The Advertiser.
  12. ^ "Sloane signs new deal". afc.com.au. 15 June 2015. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  13. ^ "Adelaide star Rory Sloane is ineligible for the Brownlow Medal after being suspended". Herald Sun. 22 August 2016.
  14. ^ Gaskin, Lee (23 September 2016). "Sloane joins Adelaide greats with second club champion award". afl.com.au. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  15. ^ Gaskin, Lee (9 April 2017). "'We go in expecting to win every game'". afl.com.au. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  16. ^ Gaskin, Lee (14 May 2017). "More to Crows' woes than quiet Sloane: Pyke". afl.com.au. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  17. ^ McGowan, Marc (16 July 2017). "Crows ready for test against Cats, says Pyke". afl.com.au. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  18. ^ Ryan, Peter (7 September 2017). "Absent Sloane spells danger for Adelaide". afl.com.au. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  19. ^ McNicholas, Aiden (8 September 2017). "AFLPA MVP nominees announced". afc.com.au. Adelaide Football Club. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  20. ^ Harrington, Anna (11 July 2018). "Rory Sloane signs a new five-year deal with Adelaide until the end of 2023". foxsports.com.au. Fox Sports. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  21. ^ Larkin, Steve (20 March 2020). "Crows skipper Rory Sloane celebrates his 200th AFL game". Seven News. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  22. ^ Gaskin, Lee (21 March 2020). "Tex sprays sealer, Swans survive Crow scare". Australian Football League. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  23. ^ Rogers, Michael; Australian Associated Press (17 April 2022). "Top Crow out for season after scans confirm ACL blow". afl.com.au. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  24. ^ Kalinic, Dejan (11 February 2023). "Crows appoint new skipper as Sloane passes on captaincy". AFL.com.au.
  25. ^ Hetherington, James (7 May 2021). "Sloane's harrowing eye injury". Adelaide Football Club.
  26. ^ "'They torture you': Crows star reveals gruesome surgery details as call on AFL return looms". Fox Sports. 5 February 2024.
  27. ^ "Sloane Announces Retirement". Adelaide Football Club. 29 April 2024.
  28. ^ "All Time Player List - Adelaide". AFL Tables. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  29. ^ Bilton, Dean (16 March 2021). "Making Their Mark, Amazon's AFL documentary, offers genuine insight into the faults and fears of modern professional athletes". ABC News. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  30. ^ Baum, Greg (9 March 2021). "AFL 2021: Amazon documentary reveals the tension of Richmond Tigers' premiership season". The Age. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  31. ^ Knox, David (15 February 2021). "Making Their Mark: trailer". TV Tonight. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  32. ^ "Demons sign Shae Sloane, sister of Rory". The Age. 19 June 2018.
  33. ^ "BCD: Mr and Mrs Sloane". Adelaide Football Club. 8 October 2016.
  34. ^ "Rory and Belinda welcome baby girl". Adelaide Football Club. 25 November 2022.
  35. ^ "Fathers of Loss Support Series: Rory's story". Red Nose. 31 August 2021.
  36. ^ "Rory Sloane's beautiful tribute after losing first son in stillbirth". Fox Sports. 28 January 2021.
  37. ^ "Rory Sloane". AFL Tables. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
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