Fremantle players have learnt to get out of the way of Josh Treacy at training, but they hope Hawthorn’s charges won’t be as lucky in Saturday’s AFL clash in Launceston.
Treacy is fast emerging as one of the best forwards in the competition following a breakout first half of 2024.
The 21-year-old has kicked a career-high 35 goals in 16 games this season, but it’s been his ability to crash packs and punish opponents with bone-crunching tackles that has equally caught the eye of the AFL world.
Hawks great Dermott Brereton has even labelled Treacy as Fremantle’s “alpha male”, and Dockers defender Jordan Clark is definitely glad to have the power forward on his side.
“At training I try to just get out of the way or get the ball out of my hands when he’s coming,” Clark said with a laugh.
“He does hit hard. He bases his game off work rate and getting to contest and pressure at ground level.
“He’s a cracking player to have in the team, he’s one of my favourite teammates because he buys into all parts of our game.”
Jye Amiss was labelled as Fremantle’s next Matthew Pavlich after kicking 41.17 last year.
The 20-year-old has struggled to recapture those heights this season, with his goalkicking accuracy falling away noticeably on the way to 23.21 across 15 games.
But the emergence of Treacy means Fremantle’s forward line has become a strength.
“Having Treacy there gives you full confidence to throw the ball on the boot and get it into the air,” Clark said.
“Because when there’s a big fella down there who’s marking them and kicking them as well as him, why not?”
Fremantle skipper Alex Pearce, who has missed the past two games with a broken forearm, was keen to play against the Hawks but medical staff want to give him another week to recover.
The Dockers recalled forward Patrick Voss to replace ruckman Sean Darcy.
The move will free up Luke Jackson to take on the ruck duties.
Hawthorn were dealt a huge blow this week when scans revealed key forward Mitch Lewis had suffered a season-ending knee injury.
Jack Ginnivan (hairline leg fracture) will miss a second consecutive game with a hairline crack in his fibula, while Jack Gunston is being managed.
Chad Wingard’s hopes of playing at AFL level this year have taken another hit with the veteran forward sidelined by a new calf injury.
Wingard has a small tear in the muscle and is expected to be out of action for about a month.
The Hawks, who copped a 51-point loss to Geelong last week, have been bolstered by the return of skipper James Sicily from a dislocated shoulder.