Adelaide forward Riley Thilthorpe has come under fire for his performance in the Crows’ qualifying final loss to Collingwood, with former St Kilda champion Nick Riewoldt accusing him of “flinching” in crucial contests.
Thilthorpe kicked two goals and was among Adelaide’s better contributors in the 24-point defeat. Still, Riewoldt pointed to moments where he felt the 21-year-old shied away from the contest, leaving opportunities on the table.
Riewoldt’s stinging critique
“I was particularly surprised at the contest from the Adelaide forwards tonight, in particular Riley Thilthorpe,” Riewoldt said on Channel 7. “There’s no fly here. He will look back at that and wonder what he was doing. Again, contest ... nup he didn’t want to fly and it looked there with the flinch, like he didn’t want to take on the body contact.”
Riewoldt also highlighted a decision by Thilthorpe to handball to Ben Keays rather than shoot at an open goal. “Just drop it on the boot, kick the goal. You’re back in the game. You don’t, and the moment passes you by and the Pies cover it up,” he said.
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Adding to his concerns, the commentator suggested Thilthorpe and fellow forward Darcy Fogarty should have applied more physical pressure to Darcy Moore, who took nine intercept marks. “Go over to him, put the arm across him, make it a 2v1 and take him out. Take the intercept mark aim away from Collingwood.”
The Crows now face a sudden-death semi-final against GWS or Hawthorn, with coach Matthew Nicks backing his players to rebound quickly and hinting at a possible return for Josh Rachele to bolster their forward line.