Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir says superstar spearhead Josh Treacy is yet to hit his ceiling as the forward prepares to celebrate a major milestone against the Western Bulldogs on Friday night.
Treacy will play his 100th AFL game when the Dockers run out in hopes of sealing a top-two berth with September action around the corner.
It will be another accolade for the 23-year-old who was plucked from obscurity by Fremantle’s list management team in 2020, taken with pick No.7 in the rookie draft.
Treacy has since gone on to become one of the best key forwards in the AFL, with the Victorian already equalling his career-best goal tally of 45 in a season and a near certainty for a maiden All-Australian berth.
Longmuir was glowing in his praise of the 195cm Docker who has become one of the vital parts of their push for a maiden premiership.
“Like most people when you come in you don’t know what you don’t know in terms of what it takes to be a professional athlete,” he said.
“Not that he was hard work at the start, but he was a country boy, came in off COVID, probably wasn’t in all the squads some of the other guys were in and probably had a bit more to learn, but it’s been a remarkable transformation into one of our most professional, hardworking players.
“He sets a great example for those around him, for the rest of our forward line, for the rest of our talls. He’s become such a consistent preparer, which has allowed him to become such a consistent player.
“(Treacy) is one of the more physical players in the comp but has a lot of class to go with it as well. And I love the way he values all phases of the game. He is amazing in the contest, but he chases and harasses the opposition, as well as anyone in our forward line, and, clearly, the offensive side of the game looks after itself. He’s built an amazing career so far, and I am excited for what’s ahead of him.”
Remarkably, Treacy is still in the infancy of his career despite his dominance. He sits equal 11th on the Dockers’ all-time leading goalkickers list with 163 majors, becoming a formidable threat alongside fellow key forwards Jye Amiss (161 goals) and Pat Voss (62).
He has gone goalless only twice this year and has kicked multiple majors in 15 of his 19 appearances, showcasing his incredible consistency.
Longmuir said Treacy would still look to get even more out of himself with still so much of his football journey ahead of him.
“I don’t need to challenge him because you just see what he does every day, but he’s always looking for areas to improve on his game,” he said.
“He can definitely become more consistent and better at his craft. I wouldn’t say we’re just scratching the surface, but there’s still plenty of improvement left in him.
“He would recognise that, and it’s very exciting.”