Adelaide forward Riley Thilthorpe is set for a lengthy stint on the sidelines following successful knee surgery.

Thilthorpe - who tore his lateral meniscus in Saturday's pre-season game against West Coast - is expected to miss at least three months.

The youngster underwent an arthroscope and surgical repair on his left knee on Wednesday.

Following his surgery, Thilthorpe will spend the next six weeks in a knee brace before gradually upping his running and training load.

Adelaide High-Performance Manager Darren Burgess is confident that the former pick 2 can still make an impact in 2024.

โ€œIt's obviously very disappointing for Riley and the team, he's had a fantastic pre-season and had put in a lot of hard work to put himself in a strong position for the year ahead,โ€ Burgess said.

โ€œBut now his focus shifts to his rehabilitation and Riley is very diligent when it comes to his training and preparation which will hold him in good stead.

โ€œGiven his age and that he is such a valuable, long-term player for us, we are taking a conservative view with his return to play and see him being a significant contributor for the second half of our season.

โ€œAfter a period of rest at home, he will continue his upper body training at the Club and will spend about six weeks in a knee brace before progressing to on-legs training and then running.โ€

Thilthorpe joins Nick Murray and Harry Schoenberg on the Crows' long-term injury list, while veteran Rory Sloane is a few weeks away.

Scars went through the Adelaide camp as forward-midfielder Josh Rachele came from the ground with a leg complaint.

Rachele quickly denied any serious injury issues and says he'll be available for selection.

Adelaide are ramping up their preparations for their Round 1 clash against Gold Coast on Saturday, March 16.