COAST TRIP IS CROW LAUGHING MATTER
ADELAIDE AFL stars Eddie Betts (left) and Dean Gore share a lighter moment at training yesterday on the Gold Coast.
The Crows are taking a break from the intense spotlight in their hometown before resuming their finals campaign next week.
One Crow who can’t escape the spotlight though is midfield ace Rory Sloane, who is recovering from surgery to remove his appendix.
STAR Adelaide Crow Rory Sloane has rejoined full training following appendix surgery and declared himself a certain starter for the preliminary final against Sydney or Geelong.
Vice-captain Sloane, who missed the club’s six-goal qualifying final win against GWS, said he had been given the go-ahead to resume full training duties on the last day of the Crows’ three-day “relaxation and rejuvenation’’ trip to the Gold Coast.
“I’m pretty much at 100 per cent (fitness) now and joining in full training,’’ he said.
Sloane, who had an emergency appendectomy nine days before the final against the Giants, revealed he was never really close to playing despite the will-he-or-won’the charade before the game.
“I was probably three days off (from playing),’’ the brilliant midfielder said.
“It wasn’t so much the pain, I was more worried about the internal stuff and what damage there could have been if I had overstretched or twisted the wrong way.
“It (the wound) might have reopened, the internal stitches, and caused some internal damage (such as a hernia).’’
Sloane said the extra week off Adelaide had earnt by beating GWS would have him right for the preliminary final.
“The beauty is we’ve got an extra couple of weeks for myself to get ready, which is very handy,’’ he told Triple M.
Sloane, a renowned surfer, has stayed out of the water on the Gold Coast to help his wounds heal.