Riley Thilthorpe (born 7 July 2002) is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was recruited by the Adelaide Football Club with the 2nd draft pick in the 2020 AFL draft.[1]

Riley Thilthorpe
Personal information
Full name Riley Thilthorpe
Nickname(s) Filthy
Date of birth (2002-07-07) 7 July 2002 (age 22)
Place of birth Adelaide, South Australia
Original team(s) West Adelaide (SANFL)
Goodwood Saints
Draft No. 2, 2020 AFL draft, Adelaide
Debut 25 April 2021, Adelaide vs. Hawthorn, at University of Tasmania Stadium
Height / weight 201cm / 105kg
Position(s) Forward / Ruck
Club information
Current club Adelaide
Number 7
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2021– Adelaide 53 (59)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2024.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

AFL career

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Thilthorpe debuted in round 6 of the 2021 AFL season, as he was impressive with 16 disposals and kicked 5 goals.[2] His 5 goals is the highest ever by a Crows debutant, tied with Josh Rachele who matched the record a year later. Jason Dunstall noted the performance as "the emergence of a future star."[3]

In round 13, against St Kilda, Thilthorpe kicked the match winning goal over his head on his opposite boot in the last minute of the game. It completed Adelaide's 36-point comeback.[4] Thilthorpe was rewarded with the NAB AFL Rising Star nomination for Round 13.[5]

After a strong off-season prior to 2024, Thilthorpe sustained a knee injury in a pre-season match against West Coast. He had surgery and missed more than four months of football.[6] Thilthorpe finally made his return in July of 2024, coming on as the substitute in the fourth quarter against St Kilda and kicking two match-winning goals.[7] He played his 50th game just a few weeks later against Geelong, and kicked three goals in the same game, the first of which was his 50th career goal.[8] Following a successful return from injury in the latter half of the season, Thilthorpe signed a contract extension until the end of 2028.[9]

Statistics

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Statistics are correct to the end of 2024.[10]

Legend
  G  
Goals
  K  
Kicks
  D  
Disposals 
  T  
Tackles
  B  
Behinds 
  H  
Handballs 
  M  
Marks
H/O
Hit-outs
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game) Votes
G B K H D M T H/O G B K H D M T H/O
2021 Adelaide 7 14 18 10 94 58 152 44 19 25 1.29 0.71 6.71 4.14 10.86 3.14 1.36 1.79 0
2022 Adelaide 7 11 8 7 70 43 113 49 24 55 0.73 0.64 6.36 3.91 10.27 4.45 2.18 5.00 0
2023 Adelaide 7 21 18 9 126 97 223 74 31 116 0.86 0.43 6 4.62 10.62 3.52 1.48 5.52 2
2024 Adelaide 7 7 15 6 53 25 78 32 12 26 2.1 0.9 7.6 3.6 11.1 4.6 1.7 3.7 0
Career 53 59 32 343 223 566 199 86 222 1.1 0.6 6.5 4.2 10.7 3.8 1.6 4.2 2

References

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  1. ^ Black, Sarah. "NAB AFL Draft recap: Every pick as it happened". afl.com.au. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  2. ^ "Hawthorn Hawks vs Adelaide Crows – AFL Round 6, 2021". FOX SPORTS. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  3. ^ Waterworth, Ben (25 April 2021). "'A bag of tricks': Riley Thilthorpe breaks Adelaide club record in super debut". Fox Sports. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  4. ^ De Silva, Chris. "Thilthorpe's magic downs Saints in final minute". wwos.nine.com.au. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  5. ^ "Crows' match-winning hero nabs Rising Star nomination". afl.com.au. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  6. ^ Smith, Martin (5 March 2024). "Huge Crows blow as key forward sidelined for months". afl.com.au. Australian Football League.
  7. ^ Larkin, Steve; Kimber, Howard (13 July 2024). "Match Report: Crows prove too good for Saints in the wet". Adelaide Football Club.
  8. ^ Cameron, Ben (3 August 2024). "Thilthorpe-led Crows learn familiar lesson in Cats thriller". tags.news.com.au. The Chronicle.
  9. ^ Geleit, Lachlan. "Why Cornes wouldn't sign Adelaide contract offer if he were Riley Thilthorpe". sen.com.au. 1116 SEN.
  10. ^ Riley Thilthorpe's playing statistics from AFL Tables  
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