Adelaide key forward Riley Thilthorpe is set to “let the footy do the talking”, as he refuses to buy into talk of a personal rivalry with Gold Coast defender Mac Andrew.
Thilthorpe and Andrew were involved in a heated exchange with seconds remaining when the two sides clashed in Round Four.
The Crows and the Suns are set to face off again this Sunday afternoon, and speaking to the media following a six-goal performance, Thilthorpe said his focus was firmly on the footy.
“We unfortunately went down by a point, so we remember that pretty clearly,” Thilthorpe said.
“Hopefully we’ll just let the footy do the talking and get a nice win, but we’ll see how we go.
“I think it’s just footy, it comes with it. I think he’s (Andrew) a very fiery bloke and that’s just how he plays his game, on edge.
“We’ll just go out there and try to get the win - coming off a really tight loss earlier in the year gives us more motivation but it is also the same every week, so we’ll just stick to the process and try to get it done.”
Thilthorpe enjoyed a career-best performance in the Crows’ win against the Western Bulldogs on Saturday, booting six goals to go with 17 disposals and nine marks.
The 23-year-old has formed part of Adelaide’s three-pronged tall forward line this season, alongside veteran Taylor Walker and Darcy Fogarty.
Against the Bulldogs, the trio combined for 11 majors, and Thilthorpe said they thrived off each other.
“The three talls have been working really well - the small forwards as well are really playing their role - Nibbler (Alex Neal-Bullen) has been amazing, Keays as always,” Thilthorpe said.
“We’ve played alongside each other enough to know what we are going to do and how we like to play, so we are just gelling really well, I think.
“I think we’ve proved it throughout the year that it works.
“I was lucky to get on the end of a few (goals) due to pretty good ball movement up the field… It was probably one of the biggest wins of my career, playing them away from home.”
The Crows will enter the game against the Suns in third position with a 12-5 win/loss record, while Gold Coast is in fifth, following a win against Collingwood in Round 18.
“It will be a massive game, they’re going really well and both teams are coming off great wins,” Thilthorpe said.
“We’ll just keep doing what we are doing and see what we can do.”
Adelaide faces the Gold Coast at Adelaide Oval on Sunday at 4.10pm.
The Crows will recognise South Australian farming families, who are enduring extreme drought conditions, by hosting them as special guests at the game against the Suns.
The Club will also celebrate our Junior Crows and thanks to the AFL, kids under 14 can enter the oval for FREE!
Simply redeem a free junior ticket with each adult purchased via Ticketek. If you're already a member, use your barcode to unlock the same offer.
Tickets to the match are available here.