When Fremantle needed a steady hand in the dying moments of their Round 5 clash, it was déjà vu as Josh Treacy, for a second time against the Pies, took the match-winning mark down back to secure a gritty six-point win at Adelaide Oval on Friday night.
In a season where versatility is currency, Treacy has fast become one of Freo’s most valuable assets. A key forward who can swing behind the ball and steady the game when it matters most.
Reflecting on Treacy’s impact in defence, skipper and leader of the backline Alex Pearce summed up his heroics on Friday night as the reason for earning him a spot as an honorary member of their unit, so valued that he literally earned a seat at the backs’ dinner.
“Not just the back six, seven as well…Josh Treacy, he did it last year. He’s done it again this year,” Pearce said post-game when asked about Fremantle’s defensive efforts.
“He’s unreal. He’s such a leader. I love playing with him. He actually got invited to the back's dinner last year.
“Just how many times he saved us, I think he’s the only one.
“We love seeing him down there and taking those big marks.”
The latest chapter in Treacy’s growing reputation came late in a grinding contest, when he was sent behind the ball to help absorb Collingwood’s final surge.
In wet and scrappy conditions, Treacy went back with the flight, pulling down the kind of clutch mark that earns respect amongst his teammates and the league.
Treacy admitted he didn’t have his best night up forward, but talked through the decisive moment to go down back as someone who understands his responsibility within the team.
“I saw the red sign go up, and I know that’s my duty, to get back and help,” Treacy said.
“And (my marks) hadn’t stuck all night, to be honest.
“It was just one of those nights I had to fight and keep bringing it to ground.
“It was nice taking (a mark) there at the end.”
Treacy’s mark down back is one example from Friday night’s win that demonstrates Fremantle’s evolution as a team in 2026.
Where once they might have let tight contests slip, now they are grinding out games, helped along by players willing to adapt for the greater good.
Treacy reflected post-game that his mark was one piece of a broader story, which is a group that’s tougher, smarter, and better at absorbing pressure than it was 12 months ago.
“We had a two-point win against the Crows last week. We hold on here, six points against the pies. Just the management of these games and our ability to stick it out and take the wins," Treacy said about Freo’s growth.
“I spoke to Alex (Pearce) about the maturity of this group, but it’s just shining through.
“The growth from the group to learn, we probably dropped these last two games last year.
“The growth across the group and not only the 23 guys that are playing, but we’ve got a really good connection and group inside the four walls of the Club and the great support staff behind us.”
On a night when the margin was thin and the stakes were high, Treacy, like other players late in the game, including Isaiah Dudley’s run-down tackle on Jamie Elliot and Matthew Johnson to steady and kick the sealer, did what their teammates expected and what Fremantle’s emerging identity now demands.
To play their role in key moments of the game and turn desperate moments into another chapter in Fremantle’s story of growth this season.
