‘That’s the level of secrecy involved’: St Kilda tried to recruit Adelaide’s Rory Sloane through a burner Instagram account

Adelaide legend Rory Sloane has shared a remarkable tale highlighting the lengths that can be taken to keep contract discussions under wraps.

During an appearance on Nine’s Footy Classified on Tuesday night, Sloane disclosed that St Kilda had used a burner Instagram account in an effort to entice him to the club back in 2018, while he was a member of the Crows’ leadership group.

Commenting on West Coast captain Oscar Allen’s public rendezvous with Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell, Sloane remarked that they could have been much more discreet and suggested a phone call or FaceTime conversation would have been wiser.

He then recounted the inventive approach St Kilda took to contact him, prior to his decision to re-sign with the Crows on a five-year deal.

“In 2018, as a leader at our club, I did have discussions with St Kilda, but it was conducted through a burner Instagram account later in the season,” Sloane revealed on Footy Classified.

“They reached out to me via a burner account on Instagram, presenting a comprehensive overview of what St Kilda had to offer—it was quite covert.

“But this all happened quite late in the season.”

“There was no way for anyone to trace it back.”

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Sloane emphasised that had he been the club captain during that time, he wouldn’t have entertained offers from rival teams.

He captained the Crows from 2019 to 2022, concluding his career as a one-club player.

A notable recent example of a player-club meeting being made public includes Essendon forward Joe Daniher being spotted leaving the house of Sydney CEO Tom Harley in 2019.