Cohuna’s Josh Treacy is set for the biggest game of his career on Saturday. Photo: AAP/Richard Wainwright
If there’s anyone in the AFL world who knows a thing or two about key forwards, it’s Dermott Brereton.
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It’s no surprise the Hawthorn great went straight to Josh Treacy when The Riv asked for a tip for Saturday’s grand final.
“How he plays will determine the fate of the grand final,” Brereton said of the Fremantle forward.
No pressure then, Josh.
The Big Cohuna has come under some scrutiny for his recent displays, having only kicked two goals across Freo’s three finals.
If there was ever a time to silence doubters, it’s now.
Treacy proved his quality during the home and away season by finishing seventh in the Coleman Medal race and leading the competition in contested marks.
Potentially being matched up against four-time All-Australian and Brisbane co-captain Harris Andrews won’t be easy.
But Lachie Neale’s suspension could aid the quality of service Treacy receives.
Brisbane is without one of its key midfielders, confirmed after a comically long deliberation by the AFL’s tribunal.
It’s been the biggest story in the footy world this week and Brereton’s giving it as much weight on Saturday as Treacy’s impact.
“That'll help Fremantle,” he said of Neale’s suspension.
“They're not playing at their best, but they've shown glimpses.
“After half-time against the Hawks, they were good, in the first half against Geelong they were good and, then the other day, once again, they were pretty good when they came back hard against Sydney.
“You tend to find that most teams will start off the way they finished off.
“I thought the winner (of the premiership) would come from the Hawthorn-Brisbane game, but Lachie Neale out, and the way that Fremantle finished off, I'm almost leaning towards them now.”
If you read this far, you might be wondering how we were able to have a chat with Brereton in the first place.
Surprisingly, he wasn’t in Echuca-Moama on Tuesday for anything footy related at all.
Brereton and Diamonds great Bianca Chatfield were at Rich River Golf Club to promote Rural Imaging Australia and La Roche-Posay’s Skin Check Tour.
La Roche-Posay ambassador Dermott Brereton at the rural skin check tour at Rich River Golf Club.
But there’s no doubt Brereton would’ve expected to be asked about footy at some point.
And, as is usually the case when a notable name comes to town, we had to get his view on the local landscape and its influence on the AFL.
Between Treacy, Harley Reid, Ollie Wines, Brodie Kemp, Jobe Shanahan and more, the region certainly punches above its weight for quality exports.
Brereton isn’t a stranger to Echuca-Moama and its surrounds, often passing through on the way to his property at Hay.
“Areas have runs of players and younger players see blokes in other teams and they get competitive with each other and therefore lift their own standard,” he said.
“That happens at league football, but it happens at local level as well.
“So if you get a thriving competition, you find that the top-end talent strive to beat each other in the local competition, which produces better footballers, so clearly it's a good comp up here.”
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