Hammer blow for struggling Crows as skipper Rory Sloane will miss the ENTIRE SEASON with knee injury – but he insists it’s not the end of his career
- Sloane ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in right knee in win over Richmond
- Adelaide skipper is 32 but says injury blow will not make him give game away
- Will have the knee reconstructed in coming week, lengthy recovery to follow
Adelaide captain Rory Sloane will miss the rest of the AFL season after scans confirmed he has ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.
Sloane was hurt during the final quarter of the Crows’ 19-point win over Richmond on Saturday night and had to be helped off the field before being substituted out of the game.
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The 32-year-old will have a reconstruction in the coming week in a significant blow for the Crows.
Sloane his helped from the field in the final quarter of the Crows’ impressive 19-point win over Richmond on Saturday
The skipper grimaces in pain after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee
But the experienced midfielder is adamant the injury will not be the end of his decorated career.
‘For me at 32 doing a knee is not ideal but it’s a great challenge to come back fitter and healthier,’ Sloane said.
‘It’s a little reset on the body for me to go again.
‘I’ve seen my sister Shae go through it before and I have been inspired by her positive attitude and diligent approach to her rehabilitation.’
Shae Sloane retired from the AFLW in April last year after suffering three ACL ruptures in three years while playing for Melbourne.
She now works at the Demons as an AFLW development coach.
Sloane’s injury took some of the gloss off a polished Adelaide performance, with the 15.11 (101) to 12.10 (82) triumph banking their second win of the season.
They now head to Ballarat to play the Western Bulldogs in round six.
Sloane (right) slaps a fan’s hand as he comes from the ground after the win. The 32-year-old missed significant game time in 2020 and 2021, but says there’s no way he’s retiring now
‘Saturday night was an incredible result for us as a team,’ Sloane said.
‘We’ve been building and that was a good, solid grind against a quality side.
‘So while I’m obviously disappointed I won’t be on the field for the rest of the season I will be doing everything I can off it to help us keep improving.’
Sloane played only a dozen games in 2020 and 18 last year amid a string of problems, including a foot injury and a detached retina.
This season, he was subbed out in two of his last three games.
‘It has been a challenging period for him … it just seems to be one thing after the other,’ Crows coach Matthew Nicks said.
‘But he keeps fronting up … he just grinds his way through. He is exactly what we want to be as a footy team.’