Emerging defender Tom Doedee has been appointed Adelaide’s stand-in captain in the absence of injured skipper Rory Sloane.
Doedee, 23, is set to lead the Crows out against St Kilda on Monday night in front of a home crowd and will assume the top job for up to six weeks as Sloane recovers from surgery on a fractured hand.
Despite only having 26 games of AFL experience under his belt, Doedee has become a standout leader at West Lakes.
“I’m extremely honoured to lead this great club and this playing group,” Doedee said.
“Since being in the leadership group, I’ve learned a lot from Sloaney over the last six months and obviously they’re some big shoes to fill.
“Fortunately, I’ll have plenty of support from our other leaders and senior players to keep driving us forward in the right direction.
Senior coach Matthew Nicks said the Club was blessed to have a number of quality leaders, but Doedee was a standout.
“Tom epitomises everything we want in a leader,” Nicks said.
“He is selfless, resilient and level-headed, both on and off the field, and his performances are at an elite level.
“We also know that he’ll be well-supported by the rest of our leadership group and his teammates.”
Doedee was elevated to the Club’s leadership group for the first time in January, despite missing the entire 2019 season due to injury.
The 2018 Rising Star runner-up has played five games in 2020, providing leadership and composure in an under-siege backline while averaging 14.8 disposals, 5.6 marks and 3.8 rebound 50s per game.
