2009–2012: Early career Sloane strained a medial ligament in his knee prior to the start of the 2009 season but upon returning quickly forced his way into the seniors in the
SANFL and showed strong form, prompting Adelaide coach
Neil Craig to comment, "He'll be an exciting player for us in the future…our supporters will like Rory Sloane." Sloane made his AFL debut in round 20 against . He did not record a kick but had seven tackles. Sloane played his second game in round 1, 2010, but sustained a serious ankle injury during the clash against which saw him out of the side for several weeks. He returned to play 14 matches for the season, averaging more than 15 disposals as a midfielder. For the second consecutive year, Sloane was injured in the first game in 2011, against Hawthorn, and was sidelined for several weeks with a fractured jaw and broken thumb. After returning, Sloane played out the remainder of the season, averaging 20 disposals and 5 tackles per game, including a 36-possession game against eventual premiers in round 21. He continued his emergence as a star midfielder in 2012, averaging 22 possessions and earning three Brownlow votes for best-on-ground in crucial wins over and Fremantle. Midway through the year, he revealed he had signed a three-year deal with the Crows, saying, "The way Brenton [Sanderson] and the rest of the coaching staff have gone about creating this really enjoyable environment for us to be involved in - I think that's a big reason why everyone wants to stay around". Sloane lifted his game yet again in 2013, averaging 23.5 possessions, winning the
Malcolm Blight Medal for the best and fairest Crows player, and polling 15 votes in the
Brownlow Medal. Sloane continued to thrive in 2014, finishing second in the Malcolm Blight Medal behind
Daniel Talia. He played his 100th AFL game in round 23 against . Sloane twice injured his cheekbone during the season, missing a total of five games, but despite that remained one of the club's elite players, finishing sixth in Adelaide's best and fairest. Sloane was rewarded with his second Malcolm Blight Medal as the club's best and fairest player, and was also named vice-captain in the
2016 All-Australian team while being the runner-up in the AFLPA Most Valuable Player award. Sloane had an outstanding start to 2017, winning the
Showdown Medal in round 3 and averaging 29.5 disposals per game while the Crows remained undefeated in the first six rounds. He started to struggle when other teams began heavily tagging him, notably playing ex-Crow
Bernie Vince on him, causing the Crows to lose their next two matches. Sloane worked hard to improve against these tags, but again he struggled against Melbourne in round 17 when Vince kept him to just 8 possessions before he was knocked out in a
Dean Kent tackle and sat out the rest of the game. Before Adelaide's qualifying final against , Sloane had surgery to have his appendix removed and was forced to miss the match. Sloane's strong performances throughout the season were respected by his teammates, who nominated him for both the AFL Players' Association MVP Award and the Most Courageous Award. Sloane's future was up in the air during the
2018 season as multiple clubs were eager to lure him back to his home state in
Victoria, with
Collingwood looming as a likely suitor. However, in a move that surprised many, Sloane re-signed for a further five years to commit the rest of his career to
Adelaide.
2019–2024: Captaincy and late career In 2019, Sloane was appointed as
co-captain of the Adelaide Football Club alongside
Taylor Walker. In 2020, Sloane assumed the sole captaincy and in round one played his 200th AFL game against the
Sydney Swans at the
Adelaide Oval, which the Crows lost by three points. Despite the club's least successful year in their history, Sloane continued to serve as captain during the majority of Adelaide's games and amassed 3 Brownlow votes. Sloane injured his knee in Adelaide's win over Richmond in round 5 of the 2022 season; scans later confirmed a ruptured
anterior cruciate ligament, forcing him to miss the rest of the season. The role of club captain was rotated between
Tom Doedee,
Ben Keays,
Reilly O'Brien and
Brodie Smith. Prior to the
2023 season, Sloane handed over the captaincy to emerging recruit
Jordan Dawson and stepped down from the leadership group entirely. Sloane played his 250th game in a loss to at the
Adelaide Oval in 2023. Following a mid-season surgery for the same issue in 2021, Sloane again went under
surgery for a detached retina. Although his recovery appeared to be progressing better than in 2021, Sloane announced his retirement in April 2024, choosing to prioritise his long-term health and wellbeing. His 255th and final game was played in a narrow loss to in round 23 of the 2023 season. At the time of his retirement, Sloane had played the 10th-most games of any Adelaide player and amassed the fourth-most
Brownlow Medal votes for Adelaide with 108. ==Media and post-playing career==