Despite a three-month injury layoff and a 267-day wait between games, Crows youngster Riley Knight looked right at home in Adelaide’s clash with the Magpies in Balaklava.
The 20-year-old was one of the stories of Adelaide’s inaugural SANFL season in 2014. He played every game and finished runner-up in the side’s best and fairest count.
But Knight was dealt a cruel blow over the summer heading into his second season as a Crow. He required surgery to repair damaged ligaments in his left leg which also caused his tibia and fibula to become separated.
Knight showed no signs of ‘ring rust’ on Sunday, however. He amassed an equal team-high 25 disposals and six marks to be one of Adelaide’s best contributors in his first match of the year, just a 40-minute drive from his Mid North hometown of Clare.
Knight told afc.com.au he’s used his time on the sidelines wisely and feels ready to pick up where he left off last season.
“It was disappointing, but injuries are part of footy,” Knight said.
“After the year that I had last year, I was really keen to build on that so it was a bit frustrating to go down.
“But there were a few positives that I’ve drawn out of it. I’ve worked really hard on practicing my skills and I’ve managed to put on a bit of size, which has been good for me.”
Knight’s hard work reaped rewards in front of a healthy crowd at Balaklava on Sunday. His bigger frame helped him win nine contested possessions and the neat-kicking Crow finished with a disposal efficiency of 84 per cent for the match – the highest of any Crow with 15 possessions or more.
Already one of the Club’s elite runners, Knight said it took him some time to initially blow out the cobwebs.
“It took a little bit of time to get back into it just with my running patterns and other things like that,” he said.
“But it was just good to get back out there with the boys. It sucks sitting on the sidelines and watching, so it was good to get back out there and play some footy again.
“I’m knackered now though.”
After bolting out of the blocks with the first four goals of the contest and leading by as much as 24 points, Adelaide had its advantage closed by the opening minute of the third term as last year’s Grand Finalists began to find their rhythm.
SANFL Match Report: Crows overrun in Balaklava
The Magpies were particularly deadly in the second half, piling on 13 goals to seven to run out comfortable 35-point victors and remain undefeated against the SANFL Crows from all three encounters between the two sides.
Knight said mindset, not fitness, remains the focus for Adelaide’s young State League side.
“It’s about concentration for us,” he said.
“When we lack concentration, we can have a few mishaps. A good side like Port can really hurt you if you have a few lapses like we did today.
“We’ve got to be in it to win it for four quarters. We’ve shown we can string some good form together – like in that first half today - but the next part is to go on and make it count over a whole game.”
A healthy crowd enjoyed Balaklava’s first taste of SANFL action since 1984 as both clubs recognised the life of fallen firefighter Andrew Harrison and celebrated the work of all CFS heroes across the state.
Knight, who knows how important such an event can be following last year’s fixture in his hometown of Clare, said it was fantastic to see so many people get involved.
“We hope that today’s game has helped in some small way to bring a few smiles to people’s faces,” he said.
“Country communities love their footy, and the people up here certainly showed they’re some of the biggest fans we’ve got.”
Coach Heath Younie was also full of praise for the local community post-match.
“It was a great day for Balaklava people,” he said.
“It’s been a great event to support the CFS Foundation and hopefully both teams represented the Harrison family in the right way and were able to put on a good show for the local community.”
