A knee injury that sidelined Riley Thilthorpe for most of 2024 has played a big role in his breakout 2025 season.
"When most people probably looked at him as unlucky, he flipped the script on it all, which I absolutely loved," former Crows skipper Rory Sloane told AFL.com.au.
"He said, 'How can I use this time to better myself and come out of this more prepared and more ready to attack senior AFL footy?'
"When most could have probably gone the other way and felt sorry for themselves, he did it with a smile on his face. The way he prepared, I think this was always destined to happen."