Thilthorpe limped to the bench midway through the final quarter after landing awkwardly, with the key forward assessed for a knee injury. Later, the Crows said the youngster had jarred his knee and was expected to be ready for round one.
The scare was the sole negative during a comprehensive performance by Adelaide, which slammed on four of the first five goals of the game then kicked seven goals to three in third term to set up a dominant 67-point win, 17.15 (117) to 7.8 (50).
Izak Rankine was outstanding with a game-high four goals, but had ample support from fellow forwards Josh Rachele, Lachie Murphy and Taylor Walker, who all kicked multiple goals.
But it was Rankine’s work on the ball that was just as promising, finishing with 18 disposals and seven marks.
“He’s got the endurance to be able to run through the midfield,” Adelaide legend Mark Ricciuto told Fox Footy.
“He might not be in there for as long as some of the other mids, but when he’s in there he’s going to be electrifying and just add that different dimension to Dawson and Laird and Crouch, and then when he goes forward he’s still deadly.”
Sam Berry, who fell out of favour in 2023, in particular had a strong start to the game, booting two goals in the first two quarters to help the Crows establish a 27-point lead at half-time. Ricciuto dubbed Berry the Crows’ “forgotten midfielder”.
Despite the margin, the Eagles still gave a good account of themselves considering they were without a host of key players, including Oscar Allen (knee) and Reuben Ginbey (concussion).