The Gold Coast SUNS will face the highest-ranked player in the AFL since Round 21 last year in Saturday’s crunch clash with the Adelaide Crows at People First Stadium, but who is it?
It’s a tough one? He didn’t finish top 10 in the Adelaide best & fairest last year, and has played only 56 AFL games at 22, but a primary dangerman will be key forward Riley Thilthorpe.
According to Champion Data’s Daniel Hoyne, Thilthorpe’s strong finish to the 2024 season and his hot start to 2025 has seen him climb to the top of player rankings for this period.
Speaking to Melbourne’s SEN radio this week, Hoyne said, “the three aspects of the game that the rating system measures is how you win it, where on the ground you win it, and what you do it.
“He (Thilthorpe) wins it in a contests. He wins contests ahead of the ball. And then his distribution by foot is superb. And he’s kicked 18 goals from his last 25 shots.”
Interestingly, the SUNS’ Sam Flanders, who had 25 possessions and a goal against Melbourne last week after missing the season-opener, is ranked 4th in Champion Data’s player rankings since Round 21 last year, behind Thilthorpe, the Western Bulldogs’ Sam Darcy and North’s Tristan Xerri, and ahead of Geelong’s Max Holmes.
Thilthorpe, Pick 2 in the 2020 AFL Draft behind Bulldogs Jamara Ugle-Hagan, didn’t play last year until Round 18 due to knee surgery, but from his 50th game in Round 21 he averaged 14 possessions, 6.25 marks and 2.25 goals.
And in the Crows’ 3-0 start to the 2025 season he’s averaged 15.3 possessions and 6.67 marks, and kicked three goals in each of their wins over St Kilda, Essendon and North Melbourne.
Thilthorpe sits equal third on the early 2025 goal-kicking ladder behind North’s Nick Larkey, who has gone 5-3-4, and the Gold Coast’s Ben King, who has bagged six and four in two games. And he’s fifth in the league for contested marks.
The bearded Crows spearhead, who makes up a three-pronged key forward set-up with ex-captain Taylor Walker (six goals this year) and Darcy Fogarty (nine goals), looms as a likely opponent for SUNS super stopper Sam Collins.
Saturday’s Round 3 clash is arguably the most eagerly awaited game between the two clubs.
Both are unbeaten, with Adelaide 3-0 after wins over St Kilda (63 points) and North Melbourne (36 points) at home and Essendon (61 points) away, and Gold Coast 2-0 after beating West Coast (87 points) and Melbourne (58 points) away.
The Gold Coast have a 4-15 record overall against Adelaide, but after losing their first 13 meetings the SUNS broke through in the COVID season of 2020 and have won four of the last six, including the last three at People First Stadium.
In head-to-head meetings between the clubs, ex-Adelaide captain Walker has been a standout.
Walker, who has played 15 times against the SUNS, heads the Brownlow Medal vote tally in games between the clubs with 13 from ex-teammate now Geelong captain Patrick Dangerfield (10) and Rory Laird (9). Gold Coast’s leading vote-getters have been Gary Ablett (7), Noah Anderson (6) and Matt Rowell (6).
Walker has had bags of 4-4-5-6-5-5 and shares the individual game record of six with Eddie Betts (twice) and Dangerfield. Callum Ah Chee, now at Brisbane, and Jack Lukosius, at Port, share the biggest haul for the Gold Coast.
Scott Thompson’s 51 possessions for Adelaide against the SUNS at People First Stadium in 2011 is the record between the clubs, while Ablett and Dion Prestia share the Gold Coast best at 42.
Matt Crouch (7), Laird (6) and Ablett (5) have had most 30-possession games in games between the clubs.
The injured David Swallow has played most often for the Gold Coast against Adelaide at 15, while at the other end of the scale, Sam Clohesy, Will Graham, Ethan Read, Jake Rogers and Jed Walter will play against them for the first time on Saturday.
And who has played for both clubs at AFL level? There have been six – inaugural SUNS vice-captain Nathan Bock, Jarryd Lyons, current SUNS development coach Hugh Greenwood, Chris Burgess, Rory Atkins and current Crow Izak Rankine, who is 0-2 against the SUNS since his defection at the end of 2022.
Elliot Himmelberg, new to the SUNS this year, is waiting to become a seventh player to wear the colors of both clubs.
With a 12.20pm start for the first home game of the year, SUNS officials will be hoping to break the attendance record for games against Adelaide of 16,168 in 2011.
