After Adelaide’s 2022 campaign came to an end, the leadership group - Rory Sloane, Tom Doedee, Ben Keays, Jordan Dawson, Reilly O’Brien and Brodie Smith - opened up on how it saw the Crows’ 2022 campaign.
The six players spoke to AFC Media and revealed which young players had impressed them during this past season.
BEN KEAYS
“Three names who come to mind are probably Sam Berry, Jake Soligo and Darcy Fogarty.
“I think they’ve really nailed down their spots and they’re going to be rippers for the future.
TOM DOEDEE
“Jake Soligo is probably the standout.
“We saw in his first couple of weeks at the Club that he had some talent and some zip, in terms of his running and his ball use.
“But I didn’t realise how poised and calm he would be under pressure.
“He’s probably one of the best I’ve ever seen ball-use wise, especially at that age, that ability to just find the right option.
“He rarely makes the wrong decision and for an 18-year-old to come into the system and have the sort of expectation that he did and he embraced it all through pre-season and then came in and played his role.
RORY SLOANE
“It’s very hard to pick one as there’s so many.”
REILLY O'BRIEN
“That’s probably been Jake Soligo.
“He lived with me over Christmas up until about April and from the day he moved in I was impressed by his work ethic and his professionalism.
“That certainly showed in the way he played this year.
“He’s been awesome. He’s come in and pretty much played a really good role straight away
”For an 18-year-old, he’s so tough and so clean with the ball, so he’s going to be a very good player for a long time.
JORDAN DAWSON
“Jake Soligo.
“His hardness and composure for a first-year player was pretty special.
“I think he’s going to be a real driving force for that midfield going forward.
BRODIE SMITH
“A lot of them have.
“Patty Parnell is quickly becoming my favourite player.
“He’s just a ripper of a bloke but for his size, to be able to come into the AFL system and just the way he competes and throws his body on the line.
“He plays like an AFL star so I’m really looking forward to seeing where his development takes him because he’s got a lot of good attributes with his speed and his skill.
