Work ethic the secret to Josh Treacy's success in the AFL

The former Bendigo Pioneers and Cohuna key forward is coming off an eye-catching third season with the Fremantle Dockers.

He played 17 games, kicked 15 goals and improved in all of the key statistical areas.

However, he's far from satisfied. Team success is his ultimate goal and the fact the Dockers missed the finals still hurts.

"I already started running last week,'' Treacy said on Friday.

"It's time to put in the work before we officially get started as a team."

That work ethic and drive to succeed is what lifted Treacy from talented Bendigo Pioneers forward to a rookie draft selection with the Dockers.

It was a lesson he was more than willing to pass on to the current crop of the Bendigo Pioneers.

Treacy was the guest speaker at his former club's best and fairest awards on Thursday and his message to the boys and girls was simple.

"Be yourself and ask as many questions as you can on the journey,'' Treacy said.

"You need to keep looking to get better, but it's important to have fun along the way."

Treacy said his first two years with the Dockers were a steep learning curve, but an experience that helped him carve out a strong third year in Fremantle.

"It's quite easy to fall into a trap of copying what the best players do, and it's great to learn from what the best players do, but that doesn't mean it will work for you,'' he said.

"You need to find what works best for you.

"I felt comfortable (this year) and I didn't have the pressure of worrying about stats and that kind of thing.

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"It was what good to get more games under my belt and continue to grow

"I feel as though I've come a long way over the past 12 months. It was a frustrating, but enjoyable season, at the same time.

"From an individual point of view I took some big steps forward.

"I think I have a wonderful opportunity in front of me over the next three years and, hopefully, longer."

Treacy has some clear goals in the next stage of his development.

"Consistently hitting the scoreboard would be a good start,'' Treacy said.

"Hopefully, we don't have as many injuries and I won't have to play second ruck next year.

"That would allow me to hit the scoreboard a bit more. I'll work on other aspects of my game as well and, hopefully, I can take my game to another level."

At a time when a current day Bendigo Pioneer - Harley Reid - is being touted as West Coast's number one selection in this year's AFL National Draft, Treacy said he loves living in Perth.

"It's a great place to live, it's not overly busy and I have a great group of friends there,'' he said.

"I'm enjoying myself."

For now, he's back on the family farm in Cohuna for a short break.

"I'll continue to enjoy some downtime on the farm and have a mental refresher before we get back into it.

"I love getting back home to catch up with everyone. It's nice to be out of the way for a bit."

On Saturday, he'll sit back and watch his former Pioneers' team-mate Jack Ginnivan represent Collingwood in the grand final.

"I'm jealous of anyone playing in the grand final, but having (Jack) playing adds a bit more to it,'' Treacy said.

"Obviously, I'm really happy for him and I hope he goes well in what is a great opportunity."

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