If a teenaged Rory Sloane got his way, he would be playing for the opposition on Sunday.

An avid St Kilda fan, Sloane yearned for the Saints to talk to him at the Draft Combine in 2008.

But an interview wasn’t forthcoming and it was the Crows, still kicking themselves for not picking the midfielder the year prior, who called Sloane’s name with pick No.44 in the National Draft.

This weekend, the now acting Adelaide co-captain will line up in his 100^th game against the team he grew up supporting. To add to the romance, Sunday’s match at Adelaide Oval will be St Kilda champion – and Sloane’s favourite player – Lenny Hayes’ final game. It might also be the last time Crows fans see Club great Ben Rutten in action.

“It is strange how it’s worked out. I loved St Kilda growing up and I loved Lenny Hayes. I’ll make sure I tackle him this weekend because that means I’ll get nice and close to him,” Sloane said with a laugh.

Sloane might be joking in this case, but he did go out of his way to meet Hayes at the Brownlow Medal last year.

“I hadn’t met Lenny before,” Sloane said.

“(Partner) Belinda (Riverso) and I were walking up the stairs. We’d just done a radio interview and Belinda wanted to get off the blue carpet and go inside because she was so nervous but I stopped and said, ‘Pump the brakes for a minute, come back here’.

“Belinda said, ‘No, I want to go inside’. I told her, ‘Lenny Hayes is behind us! I need to say ‘hello’. We slowed right down and then I turned around and said, ‘Oh, Lenny, Hi. How are you?’

“I got to shake his hand and had a little chat with him, which was my highlight of the night by far.”

It’s hard to believe Sloane, a star of the competition, was overlooked by all 16 clubs in the National and Rookie meets in 2007 and slipped all the way to No.44 in ‘08’.

It’s even harder to comprehend the rugged onballer was cut from the Victoria Metro Under-16 squad because he “didn’t go in hard enough”.

Renowned for his courage, selflessness and gut running, the reigning Crows Club Champion insists the feedback didn’t faze him.

“It was just peoples’ opinion. It didn’t fuss me,” he said.

Mum, Sandy, suggests otherwise, saying the comment was like “a red rag to a bull”.

Sloane’s partner, Belinda, who watches every game, shakes her head in disbelief at the remark.

“Well, he’s proved them wrong now, hasn’t he?” she said.

Belinda admits the brave Crow’s style of game, which sees him rank fourth in the AFL for tackles and ninth in contested possessions this season, can be tough to watch at times for those close to him.

“It’s scary, but it’s the way he plays and I love it. That’s why he’s so successful and why people admire him so much because he really does put the team before himself.”

Needless to say, Sloane wasn’t a standout junior.

He wasn’t quick or tall and there were knocks on his kicking. But he had something all the sports science and physical testing in the world couldn’t measure – heart.

The likeable lad from Upwey, at the foot of the Dandenong Ranges, would will himself to every contest and, as is the case today, was rarely beaten one-on-one. At the 2008 Under-18 Championships, he played at full-back – a position he’d never played before –and beat would-be No.6 draft pick, Chris Yarran.

Sloane says the wintry conditions in his hometown shaped the player he is today.

“It was always muddy and wet in Upwey. We played a few games every year in hail. The oval we played on had really bad drainage. The pockets would flood and one would flood so much that the water would cover the whole forward 50m. The ball would just stop dead once it hit the deck,” he said.

“You can imagine the kind of fun we had after trainings. I don’t know how mum let us in the car afterwards because we got so dirty.

“All my contested ball stuff probably started when I was younger and playing in the hills. It’s probably why I can’t kick the ball that well because I was used to kicking a muddy ball up there!”

Sloane kicked three goals in his first-ever game of football for Upwey-Tecoma in Under-10s.

“My old man was goal umpire in my first game and when I kicked my first-ever goal instead of signalling, dad jumped up and down with his arms in the air,” Sloane said.

“The umpire came over, warned him and said, ‘You’ve got to do your job’. Dad said, ‘Sorry, but my son’s just kicked his first goal!’

“It was pretty cool that dad got to watch the ball sail over his head that day.”

The Sloanes are a close-knit, down to earth family.

Rory’s parents, Sandy and Brandon, recently relocated to Adelaide for Brandon’s work.

Older brother, Dylan, is the captain of the Upwey-Tecoma football team and younger sister, Shae, is a gun volley baller.

“The past couple of years I’ve made it back to Upwey for their footy finals, which kinda sucked because we (the Crows) haven’t been playing finals but it was great to see Dylan play in a winning Grand Final,” Sloane said.

“Shae has played volleyball for Australia and travelled around. I’ll never get the chance to play my sport for Australia, so I make sure she knows how lucky she is. My brother and sister come over to Adelaide a lot and go to nearly every game we play in Melbourne too. They’re very supportive and keep me down to earth as well.

“When I can, I like to get home and watch them play to repay that support.”

“Mum and Dad drove hours to all our sporting commitments as kids. They just loved getting involved and they’ve been amazing support. They’re living down by the beach here in Adelaide, which has been a nice sea change for them.

“I think they were getting sick of the cold and rain. They’re going to love summer here.”

And then there are his mates.

A “rowdy” but loveable and supportive lot, who have followed Sloane’s journey from his very first AFL game against Hawthorn at the MCG in Round 20, 2009.

He didn’t have a kick that day, but they cheered every one of his six handballs and seven tackles.

“I had a whole pocket full of friends at my first game. I think two train carriages of mates came down from Upwey on the Belgrave line. They’re a rowdy group,” he said.

“It was at the MCG, but it wasn’t packed and I could hear them when I first ran out, which was very cool. I remember touching the ball a couple of times and just running around going nuts.

“I think I only played 32 minutes or something, but I was happy to do it anyway.”

It was a few ‘Upwey’ mates and his brother and sister who Sloane took a ‘selfie’ with post-game earlier this season.

“I went over to see my brother and sister and a few of my mates. I just grabbed the phone and took the photo without thinking,” Sloane said.

“We’ve kept it to ourselves, so it’s a nice memory we have locked away that we can cherish forever.”

Sloane has requested an additional 20 tickets for his milestone match to ensure his family, Belinda’s family and his close mates from back home can be there to share the occasion.

Although a team player in every sense, Sloane is proud of his achievement.

“I never thought I was going to make AFL to begin with,” Sloane said.

“When you do, you just concentrate on playing your first game. After that, you want to cement yourself in the team and play as many games as possible.

It’s come around really quickly particularly the last three years and it’s been awesome. I’ve played in three finals in my first 100 games and I’d like to play in a few more. The focus now is to play and win as many games as I can.

“I want to be successful with guys like ‘Danger’ and ‘Tex’. I want to grow with those guys and make sure we’re part of a successful team.”