Jake Soligo profile: Adelaide’s emerging midfield star following in Rory Sloane’s footsteps
Jake Soligo was supposed to be a top-15 draft pick, yet became a Crow deep into the second round. Now, the emerging star following in Rory Sloane’s footsteps is making those who overlooked him pay.
Crows
Don't miss out on the headlines from Crows. Followed categories will be added to My News.
When AFL recruiters would ask Jake Soligo who he modelled his game on, there was always the same answer.
“He’d always say Rory Sloane,” former Eastern Ranges talent manager Sean Toohey told this masthead.
Sloane had come through the Ranges more than a decade earlier as an inspirational hard nut with leadership potential before Adelaide drafted him at No. 44, in 2008.
Soligo followed a similar path and also landed at the Crows via a late pick, No. 36 in 2021.
Their careers went in totally different directions on Thursday night.
While the retiring Sloane was farewelled, Soligo officially arrived.
The 21-year-old recorded 27 disposals (14 contested), a team-high 10 tackles and four clearances to win his first Showdown Medal and help Adelaide prevail by 30 points.
All five judges awarded Soligo with the maximum three votes.
Jake Soligo wins the Showdown Medal! ðŸ…#AFLCrowsPowerpic.twitter.com/32QHEH76KO
— 7AFL (@7AFL) May 2, 2024
After joining the huddle for the post-game team song, Sloane – a Showdown Medallist in 2017 – walked straight over to his protege and hugged him.
“It’s quite ironic he got to the same club and got to play with him,” Toohey says.
“Then to perform on such a big night when they’re farewelling him, it’s nice little synergy.”
Soligo was already in the midst of a breakout season before Thursday night.
After starting as the substitute in round 1 due to a pre-season ankle issue, the Victorian became a full-time midfielder by Adelaide’s third match and had been an on-ball fixture since.
Last year, Soligo attended 19 per cent of centre bounces and played mainly on a wing or at half-forward.
Last night's Showdown medallist, Jake Soligo, in his draft year comparing himself to last night's retiree, Rory Sloane, before he knew they'd end up teammates.#weflyasone
— Vardy Magic (@VardyMagic) May 3, 2024
🇷🇴â¤ï¸ðŸ‡·ðŸ‡´pic.twitter.com/6yPKUWEG6g
He has been at 65.8 per cent of CBAs over the past six weeks.
And he was providing the type of toughness and energy that ex-skipper Sloane was renowned for during a 255-game career that included two best-and-fairests and an All-Australian blazer.
A source close to Soligo reckons the Crows great is an ideal comparison for his trajectory.
“I reckon he is a Rory Sloane,” they say.
“I think he’ll be captain.
“It’s a bit of a personality thing because he’s tough, honest, hardworking, humble – there’s a lot of Jake in Sloaney.”
Toohey shares a similar sentiment: “He’s very much an actions-based leader and I think he could potentially be a future captain of the club”.
Sloane became one of Adelaide’s great draft steals.
Soligo is on his way.
Like Sloane, he was fresh off a best-and-fairest with Eastern Ranges in his top-age year but his athletic profile did not jump off the page.
Soligo is not slow but also not very quick.
He is a smaller inside midfielder at 180cm.
The cancellation of the national under-18 championships in 2020 and 2021 did not help his draft prospects.
Nor did the 2021 pool being stacked with on-ballers.
Adelaide had been tracking Soligo since he represented Vic Metro at under-16 level in 2019.
The Crows loved his toughness, workrate and football IQ.
He had also impressed in a short stint with Richmond’s VFL team.
But Adelaide rated its chances of drafting Soligo as slim.
People close to him thought GWS would pounce with its second selection, No. 15.
The Crows expected him to land at Richmond, which had three consecutive picks during the second round.
But the Giants opted for Central District key defender Leek Aleer in a surprise call, while the Tigers went with Soligo’s best mate Tyler Sonsie, Tasmanian utility Sam Banks and Dandenong Stingrays speedster Judson Clarke.
When Soligo was still on the board at pick 36, Hamish Ogilvie and his recruiting team could not read out his name quick enough.
At the time, Ogilvie described Soligo to this masthead as a pure, old-school, hard-running footballer with solid fundamentals.
“It’s not often we all agree in the office,” Ogilvie told Adelaide’s website in 2021.
“Usually if there’s seven in the room it’s a 4-3 split but this was a player that we all agreed on.
“We were just rapt because he was pretty high on our talent order.”
Adelaide’s football department quickly became fond of Soligo too.
One of them described him as having the best footy smarts of any young player he had come across in his 20 years in coaching.
Soligo picked up much of his game knowledge through Rowville Secondary College’s sports academy, where he had football as a subject and was coached by Essendon premiership forward Darren Bewick.
“He’s a coach’s dream,” Toohey says.
“He’s as low maintenance a player as they come and works his arse off.”
Soligo finished 10th in the Crows’ best-and-fairest after playing 16 games in his first season in 2022.
Halfway through his 2023 campaign, Adelaide showed enormous faith by signing him to a contract extension to the end of 2029.
The length of the deal raised eyebrows at other clubs given Soligo had played just 29 games.
Those same recruiters now realise what the Crows have known all along – he is an absolute gem.
“What stood out about him back with us is the same things you’re seeing now,” Toohey says.
“His ground-level ball is so clean, he’s got a really low centre of gravity, kept his feet very well, one-touch, head over it, strong, tough, but also good aerially for his size, a massive workrate and thirst for the contest.”
Soligo’s work ethic has long been part of his kitbag.
When his family moved to the Mornington Peninsula in his draft year, he was travelling an hour to Eastern Ranges training.
“He’s such a good lad, comes from a really good family and he’s getting better and better every week,” Toohey says.
“He’s taken it to another level.”
Soligo has lived with teammates Josh Rachele and Luke Nankervis since they all arrived at West Lakes at the end of 2021.
The trio have become very close and they have helped one another settle in South Australia.
Soligo’s manager Nick Gieschen, of Connors Sports, told this masthead that Adelaide suited the third-year Crow.
“He’s down-to-earth, low key, no ego and a really head down bum up kind of kid,” Gieschen said.
“He’s had to work really hard to get where he is.
“The Crows love him and know what they have.”
Soligo’s understated nature and humility were on show when he accepted the medal on Thursday night then later sat with coach Matthew Nicks in the post-match press conference.
The young gun spoke of how excited he was to join the great names to have received the award.
How he could not have done it without the help of more experienced on-ball teammates Jordan Dawson, Rory Laird and Matt Crouch.
How the club’s new psychologist Rosie Stanimirovic had played a key role in his improvement this year, helping him live in the moment more.
And of how much respect he had for Port Adelaide’s on-ball trio of Connor Rozee, Zak Butters and Jason Horne-Francis.
“They’re great midfielders and some of the best in the comp,” he said.
“To play on them is pretty surreal still I reckon.”
Soligo is on the way to being spoken about in the same way.
But those who know him are certain footy stardom or accolades will not change him.
Toohey, now the head of football operations at the SANFL, was at the Henley Dawn Service on Anzac Day when he spotted Soligo with Rachele and a couple of other teammates among the crowd paying their respects.
“I’m pretty confident Jake would’ve driven that,” Toohey says.
“He’s very genuine and what you see is what you get.
“There’s no bullshit, he’s a ripper.”
Toohey is excited to see what the future holds.
“He’s a people-first young fella for the betterment of the team on and off the field and that’s what will make him a good leader,” he says.
If Soligo’s career turns out anything like Sloane’s, the Crows will be ecstatic.
Originally published as Jake Soligo profile: Adelaide’s emerging midfield star following in Rory Sloane’s footsteps
Young star’s huge show of faith in the Crows
After what he showed late this season, many think Riley Thilthorpe will explode in 2025 – and the young Crow will remain at West Lakes a lot longer than that.
Finals, finally? The key to Crows’ September return in ‘25
Adelaide talked the talk last summer – but failed to walk the walk when it mattered. Will the next six months be different? For Matthew Nicks’ future, it has to be, writes SIMEON THOMAS-WILSON.