Fremantle forward Josh Treacy reflects on incredible rise from country kid to Dockers leader and star key forward

Josh Treacy was a quiet country kid when he was drafted to Fremantle. Now he’s a leader and has found his voice. The Dockers spearhead tells Eliza Reilly how it happened.

It’s hard to believe that the softly spoken country kid who arrived at Fremantle in 2020 is the same Josh Treacy who is now the Dockers’ barometer.

When Treacy presents publicly, he comes across as reserved and thoughtful.

It’s a different story at training or during games.

Acknowledging he was born with a severe case of white line fever, the boy from Bendigo is vocal, demanding and competitive.

It’s why Treacy, aged 22, was elevated into Fremantle’s leadership group this season. But when it came to finding his voice, Treacy first had to find form.

“I think it’s just confidence on-field,” he told this masthead.

“It’s allowed me to grow in other spaces and have more conversations and speak my mind when I feel like it’s necessary or I see something that needs to be addressed.

“I’m very vocal. It’s the way I’ve learnt to distinguish when I need to be brutal and loud and the rah-rah.

“I love winning and I’m very competitive. That’s part of who I’ll always be. I’m learning how to change the way I deliver things but still have the same meaning.

“Being named in the leadership group is obviously a big honour. It’s not something that I chased or was going to be disappointed with if I’d missed out.

“I’m grateful that my peers had the confidence in me to be a part of that group and help lead this club forward.”

A nice rise from Josh Treacy ahead of a big year for the big Docker!

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Treacy only started believing he had the right to express himself once he was ingrained in the Dockers’ best 22. And after a breakout 2024 season, there’s a strong argument that Treacy has not only done that but emerged as Fremantle’s most important player.

When COVID-19 wiped out Victoria’s junior football competitions, Treacy was one sliding door away from not getting drafted.

The Dockers took a chance with pick seven in the 2020 rookie draft and he repaid the faith with 16 games during his debut season.

Treacy was a raw prospect from country Victoria when he was drafted.

Treacy has become one of the league’s most damaging key forwards.

Treacy was limited to just four games in 2022 due to injury and glandular fever. He played 17 the following year but 2024 was the making of Treacy as one of the AFL’s best forwards.

Relentless, fearless and damaging, Treacy is the closest thing we’ve got to a reincarnation of the old-school key forwards from a bygone era.

With a career-best 45 goals, Treacy led Fremantle’s goalkicking and was in the All-Australian conversation before an untimely knee injury cut his season short.

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Premiership Hawk Xavier Ellis declared this week that Treacy will be the best forward in the AFL by the end of the season.

Did Treacy always have the confidence he’d make it at the top level?

“I’ve had to figure out quite a bit along the way but I wouldn’t change what I’ve been through because it’s certainly shaped me and helped me get to where I am now,” he said. “I still have a long way but I’m trending in the right direction.

“I think that has a big impact on the way we play and I can drag others along through my actions.

“I just value what comes from within these four walls because it can be quite hostile out there but I think it’s exciting. It’s all I ever wanted to do as a kid.

“Keep piling on that pressure because it’s only going to fuel my performances.

“The more impact I can have an impact on others, hopefully, that moves us in the right direction.”

Originally published as Fremantle forward Josh Treacy reflects on incredible rise from country kid to Dockers leader and star key forward