Somewhere in the mourning crowd, huddled with family members who'd flown to Perth, was a young footballer who in normal circumstances would have been celebrating the highlight of his life. Riley Knight will never forget his AFL debut, but not for the reasons every kid dreams of. One of Phil Walsh's last acts as Adelaide coach was to give a 20-year-old he loved for his speed, endurance and zest for tackling his first game. At least Knight can cling to this, and on Saturday night against West Coast he made a solid start in repaying the faith. "We had a strong belief that he would handle the occasion and in the end we thought he didn't look out of place," said Heath Younie, coach of Adelaide's stand-alone SANFL team. "He actually got better as the game went on." Knight played every game for the Crows' seconds last year and finished equal-second to captain Ian Callinan in the club champion award. His senior debut would doubtless have come sooner if not for three months lost to ankle surgery early this year. On Saturday night he started slowly and had to fight through a heavy second-quarter knock that left him hobbling, but two second-half goals and 13 disposals was a promising return. His third-quarter goal, after gathering under huge pressure from a Mark LeCras-led flock of Eagles, displayed the gut-running Walsh so valued. In less trying times, it will hopefully bring Knight some reflective contentment.

Whether Scott Camporeale continues beyond his interim posting, he will always be intertwined in Knight's career; Brenton Sanderson was his first AFL coach, Walsh the mentor who gave him his first game, Camporeale the man who coached it. The former Blue and Bomber spoke on Saturday night of the many "firsts" the Crows had encountered last week - the first training session after Walsh's shocking death, first pre-game, first steps back to doing what they do. On top of this Knight had to contend with his first AFL game, already postponed by a week. The contrast with Camporeale's debut could hardly be greater. The first of his 252 games came in front of 87,000 fans against the Blues' nemesis Collingwood at the MCG in round one, 1995. Carlton won, "Campo" made an immediate impact, and by season's end, having just turned 20, he was a premiership player. Knight's qualities stand him in good stead to thrive in any environment, and have been evident at West Lakes since he and Saint Luke Dunstan and Blue Cameron Giles formed a triple coup for Clare High School (where Knight's father was principal) when they were all taken in the 2013 draft. Malcolm Karpany, who is yet to debut for the Eagles, rounded out a vintage year that threatened to set footballers alongside riesling as the South Australian wine growing region's chief export. Speaking to the Crows' website last year Knight recalled that his first training session, running around with the likes of Patrick Dangerfield in the 2014 pre-season, was enough to make him step back and go, "Wow!" Saturday night took the wow-factor to another level, and Younie was in no doubt how he'd cope.

"He is actually quite mature for his age and has great confidence in his ability while still being humble," Younie said of a young man he says is blessed with a resilience few of his age possess, and a fierce desire to improve himself. "Riley is a great character to have around the place." At the end of Camporeale's sombre media conference on Saturday night, in which he was supported by Taylor Walker and Daniel Talia, Crows' chairman Rob Chapman stepped forward to thank the Eagles in particular and the AFL industry at large for helping make a horrid week a little easier to navigate. Casting a thumb over his shoulder he described the atmosphere behind the wall as "highly charged" and "very, very emotional". Amid this sorry gathering, grief-stricken by a senseless end, was a young footballer making a beginning. The game can only wish him many happier days.