Adelaide Captain Rory Sloane said watching from the sidelines for most of the Crows’ 2022 campaign only made him hungrier to return to the footy field.

Sloane ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee in the final quarter of Adelaide’s Round Five win against Richmond.

It has been 133 days since the Skipper had surgery on his knee and speaking to AFC Media, Sloane said his rehab was tracking well.

“I love the challenge of rehab,” Sloane said.

“I’m really enjoying that challenge of getting my body as fit and healthy as I ever can. I want to get in the best nick of my career. 

“That challenge is something that drives me.”

“I love the challenge of rehab.

Looking forward, Sloane said his target would be playing Round One.

“The goal for me is playing Round One, but we’ll just wait and see and keep strengthening it to get it as strong as possible.

“We’ve got a very driven group, so I’d back them in, but that’s the challenge for our whole group because we want to continue to get better.

“I hope our fans can see the growth of our group and are excited by the talent we’ve got and how hard everyone is working.

“I’m certainly excited to be part of this group and they drive us all harder than ever.”

Upon reflecting on this past season, Sloane said he was proud of how the players had stuck together, especially when things were not going their way mid-season.

“We always put up a fight and I think that’s been a pleasing thing watching from the sidelines,” Sloane said.

“I had never seen us give up and we’ve always just kept fighting which I think is a great quality.”

Sloane said the development of the Crows youngsters had also impressed him.

“The growth of a lot of our younger kids, led by one of our eldest players in Tex as well, I think that’s been the standout for me this season,” Sloane said.

“You can see how much improvement there’s been from our young kids, as they’re competing against seasoned players of the footy world.

“In some of those big games against opposition who have played a lot more footy than them, they’ve competed really solidly, so that’s been a standout.”