Rory Sloane signs three-year contract extension with Adelaide, will remain at Crows until 2018

PATRICK Dangerfield is now the odd one out at Adelaide after teammate Rory Sloane signed a three-year contract extension.

AFL - Showdown 38 - Adelaide Crows v Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval. Rory Sloane escapes from Kane Cornes. Photo Sarah Reed

PATRICK Dangerfield is now the odd one out at Adelaide after teammate Rory Sloane recommitted to the club and signed a three-year contract extension.

Sloane, who was out of contract at season’s end and had been linked with some Victorian clubs including St Kilda, will now remain with the Crows until at least the end of the 2018 season.

The star midfielder’s signature means Dangerfield is the only Crows star still out of contract.

Eyebrows were raised on the weekend when Dangerfield returned home to Mogg’s Creek, near Geelong, to catch up with family and friends over Adelaide’s bye weekend. He also leant a hand to the Anglesea Kangaroos, chipping in with some coaching support on Saturday.

Sloane said he firmly believes in the club’s direction and has a strong respect for the current playing group under coach Phil Walsh.

“With the support of my fiancee Belinda and family, I have been in constant talks with the club and am thrilled to sign a new deal,” Sloane said.

“Our club is built on a team-first attitude and elite standards and it allows us all to thrive and improve, and there is no doubt success lies ahead.”

Sloane, pick No. 44 in the 2008 AFL National Draft, has developed into one of the competition’s elite midfielders, polling 40 Brownlow votes and kicking 65 goals from 107 games so far.

He has finished in the top three in Adelaide’s Best and Fairest award in each of the past three years, including a first-place finish in 2013.

Crows coach Phil Walsh said he had great admiration for Sloane’s work ethic and desire, both on and off the field.

“Rory epitomises the type of person we want at the Adelaide Football Club,” Walsh said.

“He lives by elite standards and inspires others to do the same and you can always count on him to get the job done on game day.”

Crows Head of Football David Noble said Sloane is an “outstanding individual” and held in “the highest regard as a person, player and leader”.

“We are thrilled that he is here for the long haul and our push towards a return to finals and future success,” Noble said.

Originally published as Rory Sloane signs three-year contract extension with Adelaide, will remain at Crows until 2018