ADELAIDE star Rory Sloane will miss Sunday's Showdown with an eye injury.

Sloane was accidentally poked in the eye during last weekend's 22-point loss to Fremantle and a subsequent examination found a small tear in the 23-year-old's retina.

The injury will sideline Sloane for at least two games and he won't be able to train until next Wednesday at the earliest.

It's a significant blow to the Crows, after the tough midfielder was voted the club's best by both Brenton Sanderson and Ross Lyon last weekend.

Sloane is one of the competition's best midfielders according to the Official AFL Player Ratings, ranked 27^th overall in the League.

His absence will be partially offset for the Crows by the return of key pair Patrick Dangerfield and Ben Rutten.

Harry Thring is a reporter for AFL Media. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_Harry.