Get stronger. 

That is the mantra of Adelaide forward Riley Thilthorpe’s off-season, as he identified an area of improvement that would help take his game to new heights in 2024.

Across his three-year career, the 21-year-old has shown plenty of promise, booting 44 goals from 46 games, while showcasing his skills as a talented back-up ruckman. 

Having built a solid foundation, the South Australian product is now determined to take a leap next season and become a cornerstone of the Crows’ blossoming forward line.

Speaking to AFC Media, Thilthorpe said he had put in a lot of hard work over the break and he was now starting to see it pay off at the start of Adelaide’s pre-season.

“I had a big focus on gym this off-season and putting on a bit of muscle and getting a bit stronger,” Thilthorpe said.

“As well as completing the program, which Burgo makes pretty tough, I’ve also been doing boxing once or twice a week which I’ve found has really helped me in that strength space.

“Even over these past few weeks back at training I’ve definitely felt that extra strength in one-on-one contests and match simulation.

“I feel I’m able to throw guys around a little bit more which is really exciting for my game next year.”

Thilthorpe said he was impressed with how the squad had returned and the levels during pre-Christmas period had been as sharp as he had seen during his career so far at West Lakes. 

“The standard of training has been pretty elite, it has definitely been a big step up,” Thilthorpe said.

“We’ve come a long way over the past 12-18 months and it’s really exciting where we are right now, and where we will be by the end of the pre-season.

“Seeing the way we are training now, I can’t wait to get back into games and show what we can do.” 

Having a solid foundation in place, Thilthorpe and his Crows teammates are looking towards 2024 with great confidence. 

He outlined his goals for next season, and how he would go about trying to achieve them. 

“Team wise we want to play finals, which is a massive goal we are all working towards,” Thilthorpe said.

“Personally, I just want to improve on last year, play every game and be a little more consistent each week.

“I feel the work I’ve done in the strength space will really help with that consistency, being able to be stronger in the contest and clunk a few more grabs.

“Every year I come back and play on guys like Harris Andrews and feel like I’ve gotten a little stronger, but hopefully next year I can really take the jump and start throwing those guys around.”