AFL Round 7: Adelaide sweats on Riley Thilthorpe scans after loss to Fremantle

Adelaide remains uncertain about the extent of Riley Thilthorpe’s injury as it counts the cost of a disappointing loss to Fremantle on Friday night.

Adelaide key forward Riley Thilthorpe has suffered a badly dislocated finger and will need further scans to determine his availability.

Thilthorpe sustained the injury during the second half of the Crows’ loss to Fremantle in Perth, going down to the change rooms in pain before returning to the field.

While he was understood to have avoided a fracture, Thilthorpe’s dislocation was considered to be a bad one.

The 22-year-old requires X-rays and further assessments to confirm the severity and determine his availability.

It will be a big blow for the Crows if Thilthorpe misses an extended period.

Riley Thilthorpe grimaces in pain.

Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks said post-match that Thilthorpe was very important to the team.

“Riley does get a lot of footys in his hands and goes for a lot of contested marks, and so his hands are getting beaten up,” Nicks said.

“He’s a pretty tough young kid, though, he keeps fighting through it.

“He kept fighting for us tonight.”

Thilthorpe sat second on the Coleman Medal leaderboard two games into the round with 19 goals from seven matches.

He missed all bar the last seven games of last year after tearing a lateral meniscus in his knee late in pre-season.

The 201cm big man has bounced back to be Adelaide’s most in-form forward in 2025.

Meanwhile, Darcy Fogarty missed Friday night’s disappointing 18-point loss to Fremantle in Perth and is still in doubt to meet the Blues at Adelaide Oval next Saturday.

Thilthorpe’s haul on Friday night took his season’s tally to 19 goals, just two behind Fremantle’s Josh Treacy, who goes in Saturday’s games on top of the AFL’s goalkicking table.

Fogarty is close behind, with 16, actually an accurate 16.3.

Riley Thilthorpe managed to kick three goals for the Crows despite suffering an injury. Picture: Getty Images

He didn’t play against the Dockers after he was diagnosed with a sternoclavicular joint sprain, a shoulder injury, following the Crows win over Greater Western Sydney.

“It’s an SC joint, which they can linger,” Nicks said.

“He’s a country boy, though, so pretty sure he’ll be pretty keen after watching tonight. He’ll want to get back out there.

“I think anytime you have a player out that’s it’s been there right through, it challenges you and changes your connection with your keys, and especially ahead of the ball.

“So, Darcy is really important to us.

“At the same time, we felt like we had a group that if we gave them enough opportunity, they’d be able to score, and we could get a result.

“But tonight was just one of those nights, not being able to knock it through when we had a chance.”

While Adelaide went forward only 42 times, their lowest number of entries into attack this season, they managed to kick 9.13.

They took 14 marks in attack and put on 18 tackles in their forward line.

But they failed to make the most of all of their opportunities.

“We missed some goals that we’ve been knocking through,” Nicks said.

“Maybe Darcy Fogarty is an important player for us, because he doesn’t miss very often.

“But in the end, we didn’t really give them enough opportunity.

“The game’s won and lost in the midfield more often than not, and tonight was a prime example of it.”

CROWS CRUMBLE IN WEST AMID DAWSON FORM CONCERNS

In the six games before Friday night, Adelaide trailed their opponents at the end of a quarter just four times.

That tally has now doubled though — to eight — after Fremantle dominated Adelaide in an 18-point win at Optus Stadium on Friday night.

A week earlier, the Crows impressed with their best clearance work in a fighting win over Greater Western Sydney.

RECAP THE BIG TALKING POINTS AND SUPERCOACH BELOW

They struggled all night in that area against the Dockers in their 12.13 (85) to 9.13 (67) loss.

The margin does flatter Adelaide a bit. The game was over at three-quarter-time, with the home side leading by 42-points.

This was a good response from Fremantle, who a week earlier had looked very ordinary in a disappointing loss to a previously winless Melbourne.

A week absolutely is a long time in football.

Only a late rally saved Adelaide from a bigger loss against Fremantle.

CROWS IN NEW POSITION

Trailing by 20 points at halftime, it was the first time this season Adelaide had gone into the second half trailing on the scoreboard.

Fremantle had led the Crows by 36 points early in the second term after its best start to a season and after Josh Treacy kicked his second goal.

Those goals also sent the powerful Dockers forward to the top of the Coleman Medal tally board, with 20 goals.

After not touching the ball in the first term, Riley Thilthorpe picked up four disposals in the second. He kicked the last two goals before halftime, bringing the Crows back into the contest.

But his third didn’t come until the fourth term, when the margin had got back to six goals.

No Crow managed a goal in the third term.

Despite a 2-4 record, Carlton remains the only side to lead after two quarters in every game they have played in 2025.

Andrew Brayshaw dominated again for the Dockers.

BIG GUNS DELIVER

Adelaide got on Friday night what any team will get if they give Dockers midfielders Andrew Brayshaw and Caleb Serong as much room as Adelaide did.

They pair had 69 possessions between them.

There was some pressure on Serong; 26 of his 32 possessions were handballs.

But he also had 10 clearances, although the Crows managed only 30 between them all for the night.

The Dockers pair also had 35 contested possessions between them.

It wasn’t a great night for the Crows midfield, with Matt Crouch subbed out of the game at three-quarter-time as a tactical move.

CROWS SCORING POWER

When Jake Soligo kicked Adelaide’s first goal of the night, early in the opening term, the Crows became the first side to kick 100th goal for the season.

The closest team to Adelaide’s 99 goals going into round 7 was Geelong, with 87.

Top side Collingwood, who had played its seventh game hours before Adelaide did on Friday, has booted 93.90.

The Crows now have 108.

Of the other sides to have played seven games, Fremantle now has 89 goals while Melbourne and Richmond have just 70 goals apiece.

Originally published as AFL Round 7: Adelaide sweats on Riley Thilthorpe scans after loss to Fremantle