Former Pick 2 extends time at West Lakes

Adelaide key forward Riley Thilthorpe has added another three years to his existing contract, locking him away at the club until the end of 2028.

Thilthorpe was already contracted for next year but has extended his time at West Lakes for a further three years, committing to the long-term future of the Crows.

After an interrupted 2024 season where the 22-year-old only featured in seven games, the former Pick 2 showed tremendous growth in the back half of the year, kicking 15 goals during that period.

Despite the club missing finals again (the last time was in 2017), Thilthorpe can see where the improvement is and is excited about what the future will hold.

"I believe in the group and believe we're going to do some good things in the future, so I'm really excited about signing on,” he said.

“We have a really good culture, and a lot of boys signing on just shows that.”

Thilthorpe said he was pleased with how he returned from knee surgery and is ready for the pre-season to begin.

“It (injury) was obviously pretty unfortunate, but I wouldn't change anything, I learnt so much about myself during that time and watching from the outside, I saw a different perspective of the footy club and how it works,” Thilthorpe said.

“It brought me back to a better spot post the knee injury where I'm really happy.

“I can't wait for pre-season. I feel like I was just starting to get going at the back end of this year, so I'm excited for a full year and see how we go.”

Crows GM List Management and Strategy Justin Reid said Thilthorpe was a crucial part of the club's exciting future.

“We've loved what we've seen from Riley in his first four seasons, and we're excited about what the next four looks like,” Reid said.

“He's a really big part of what we are building, not only of our forward line but the young core that is taking the group forward.

“This year, he faced a significant challenge with his knee injury in pre-season, but his attitude towards his rehab and appetite to put in the work was obvious for all to see, and it translated to some great form on the field.”