As Josh Treacy prepares for his 50th AFL game during Sunday’s clash with the Gold Coast Suns, the 21-year-old key forward said he was thankful for the road he has taken to get to this point.

“It’s been a long time coming, I know it’s only been four years, but it’s been a lot of hard work,” Treacy said at the Friday afternoon media conference.

“A few lightbulbs moments and patience along the way to get here, obviously it’s only a little step but it’s something I will cherish.

“My confidence overall, being able to back myself in week in week out, having the staff, coaches and my teammates backing me in. That allows me to play at my best.”

Treacy spent his first three seasons with Fremantle building his craft, and in a breakout fourth season, the 196cm key forward has delivered consistent performances along with career-best numbers.

“Like I mentioned it feels like another little step and I’ve got plenty more to give I feel,” Treacy admitted.

“A lot of ups and downs, plenty of growth but I think it’s been an exciting journey.

“I’m grateful that I’ve gone through what I have because I certainly wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t experienced a lot of the things that I had.”

Treacy holds an elite ranking by champion data for goal accuracy (68.4%) and despite kicking 2.3 last week (just the second time this season he’s kicked more behinds than goals), Treacy said he was eager to get back to kicking majors.

When asked about his week in front of goal during the Bulldogs clash (specifically his uncharacteristic set shot miss), Treacy was confident he'd return to his previous accurate standard.

“I’ve had a laugh, I think that’s the best way to move on,” Treacy said.

“It’s obviously something that I pride myself (goal kicking) on and I still don’t know what to put it down to, but we just move on, and I know this week I’ll be going back and nailing as many as I can.”

Fremantle will play Gold Coast on Sunday afternoon with bouncedown at 2pm WST in a match that will celebrate the ongoing hard work of WA's emergency services