Adelaide captain Rory Sloane had just one message to give his stand-in, Tom Doedee - don’t overthink it.

The 23-year-old will hold down the fort for Sloane while he recovers from a fractured hand sustained against West Coast in Round Six.

Doedee impressed in his first game as skipper, notching 18 disposals (at 94 percent efficiency), 10 marks and 398 metres gained.

“He played very well,” Sloane told Triple M’s The Rush Hour

“My message for Tommy was don’t overthink it.

“He’s an unbelievable natural leader and I wanted him to go out there and be himself… he did exactly that, played his way, played his game.”

 After undergoing successful surgery last week, Sloane awoke to the news of Doedee’s appointment as interim captain.

“Woke up out of surgery, the first article I see is a welcome to our skipper,” Sloane siad.

“I sent Tommy a message and said, ‘jeez mate, I’ve barely left my seat and you’ve jumped straight on’.”

Jokes aside, Sloane said he would definitely return for games this season, despite more games being played in less time.

“It is a disadvantage for me, cramming in more games in a week… I might miss one extra,” he said.

“But that’s alright, it’s great for the competition.

“I’ve always wanted to play with shorter rests… recovery, train, play.”