Rory Sloane has vowed to return fitter and stronger than before after being ruled out for the rest of the 2022 AFL campaign with a serious knee injury.
Adelaide Crows are priced at 66/1 to win the grand final but will have to do it without Sloane who ruptured his ACL in the win over Richmond
The loss is a huge blow for the Crows and Sloane at this stage of his career but he has quickly switched his focus to making sure he is ready for the 2023 season.
It is not the end as far as Sloane is concerned and he is ready to attack the rehabilitation process.
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"For me at 32 doing a knee is not ideal but it’s a great challenge to come back fitter and healthier, it’s a little reset on the body for me to go again," Sloane said.
"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.
"Saturday night was an incredible result for us as a team, 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."
Adelaide's high performance manager Darren Burgess admits it is a big blow but is also backing Sloane to make a full recovery.
"He is one of our most important players and as our captain his influence on what we do is obvious," he added.
"But typical of his character he is already speaking positively about the challenge in front of him and I have no doubt he will attack his rehabilitation the same way he approaches his football – with the utmost professionalism and determination and we look forward to him returning to the field next year.”
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