Riley Thilthorpe
From top draft pick to five-goal debutant, come behind the scenes for an exclusive look at Thilthorpe's big week. Brought to you by RAA.
Inkling
When Riley Thilthorpe walked into the meeting room at West Lakes on the Thursday before Round Six he had an inkling some good news may be coming. “The whole day was really weird because I’d been told on the Wednesday I was in the squad, but I didn’t know who I was waiting on or what I needed to do to get in,” he said. “I tried to stay calm and not think too far ahead.” Having grown up a Crows supporter, Thilthorpe had allowed himself to dream of the moment he’d be told he would make his AFL debut for the Club he loved, but as is his temperament – calm, considered and measured – he refused to believe it until he knew for sure.
Happiness and shock
When Senior Coach Matthew Nicks stood in front of the players and told them the news that their No.2 draft pick would make his debut alongside GWS recruit Jackson Hately who would play his first game for the Club, his response was a mixture of happiness and shock. “Finding out on the Thursday was unbelievable,” he said. “All the boys got around me and it was a really special moment, they (parents) were pretty pumped when I called them, it was a great experience.” Confirmation of Thilthorpe’s AFL debut came after five months of hard work during which he navigated his first AFL pre-season and had to bide his time in the SANFL working on his game and building his confidence.
Pre-season
“It was a pretty good pre-season and really enjoyable, and I worked out the things I needed to work on pretty quickly,” he said. “Getting my body right and the bodywork side of AFL, they’re (opponents) a lot bigger and stronger, so making sure I’m efficient with my movements and can work guys under the ball. “I’ve worked a lot with Rahls (James Rahilly) on the bodywork stuff, and a lot with Tex and Lynchy on technique. Tals as well has been a big one, obviously he’s not playing at the moment so he’s really helped me learn to adapt to things that he finds hard to play against.” Combining his running sessions on the track with work in the gym, Thilthorpe added 4kg to his frame and fine tuned his body composition. “I feel really fit on the ground which is good,” he told AFC.com.au
Patience
As eager as he was to step straight into AFL footy, Nicks’ message to the young forward was to be patient and his time would come. “I obviously wanted to play but Nicksy said to be patient and keep working on it,” Thilthorpe said. “And I’m really thankful for that because I got to a level where I could compete at AFL level and I think I was able to show that in my first game against Hawthorn. “It was pretty tough in the SANFL but good to keep working on my craft and learning the gameplan and start implementing it a bit better. “Doing it (training) every day is a lot different to three times a week, and the (AFL gameplan) language is a lot different, learning that took the longest, the terminology and what you’d call specific things but I’m on top of it now which is good.”
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Mins
Published on
Debutants announced to the Playing Group
Matthew Nicks reveals to the group that two Crows will make their debut against Hawthorn on Sunday.
Guernsey
Having been told he would debut against Hawthorn in Launceston in Round 6, Thilthorpe was presented with his No.7 guernsey in the rooms by former player John Klug who played in Adelaide’s inaugural AFL game in 1991. “That was really special, John obviously being the first person to ever touch (handball) it for the Crows which is pretty cool to get him to present my jumper,” Thilthorpe said. “It was a really special moment with all my family and my mates.” Thilthorpe didn’t take long to find the footy either in his first AFL game and his first goal came via a 50m set shot. That triggered a purple patch where he booted three in quick succession to finish with five for the game.
Confidence
“Nicksy told me there was no pressure on me and to just do what I’d been doing. I didn’t need to do anything special, just what I’d shown in the SANFL and that gave me confidence going into it that I didn’t need to do anything miraculous, just play my role for the team,” he said. “I can’t remember what was going through my mind when I had my first set shot, I had a million different things going through my head I think it was just relief after the first couple of touches I had. “It was a crazy moment and really special to see the boys come from all over the ground. “It was all a blur to be honest after the first goal, crazy, obviously pretty sad not to get the result because I thought we were going to run over the top but it was positive for me and definitely something to build on for the future.
Learning
“I think this year is going to be a big learning for me, my first year I’m trying to do everything I can to help the team and compete and scrap it out. “It’s exciting, we have a really young talented group, we’re obviously not getting the results we want at the moment but I think in the years to come it’s going to be really positive and really exciting. “Now I just 100 per cent want to sing the (team) song, I want that Powerade shower so we’ll hopefully get that next week.”
