At the beginning of this season, it seemed like Adam Treloar’s days of making headlines were behind him. His impressive career appeared to be winding down to a supporting role at a lesser-known club after being pushed out of Collingwood in late 2020.
However, Treloar made a remarkable comeback.
He stopped carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders like Atlas and began to enjoy football again.
Treloar committed himself to recovery, frequently visiting chiropractor Dr. Hannah Weeks in Hampton. He also made regular trips to the Regen Wellness Centre in the same area, where he would spend nearly an hour in an oxygen pod. Treloar referred to these visits as “little investments” in his body, embodying the adage “healthy body, healthy mind.”
Having struggled with soft tissue injuries for much of his later career, he needed to regain the confidence that his body could keep up with his mind. Treloar now asserts that he “can run as well as I have ever run.”
“If I am feeling good physically come game day, I still feel like I am able to play at a high level,” Treloar said.
Throughout 2024, he has demonstrated his ability to perform at the highest level, driving the Bulldogs to victory on several occasions. His legs, pumping like pistons, propel him up and down the field, helping his team outnumber opponents at contests. Always capable of breaking away from a stoppage or navigating through gaps, Treloar has become consistent, rather than playing in the short bursts that characterized his time at Whitten Oval.
Treloar’s form alongside Bulldogs’ great Marcus Bontempelli has helped propel the team—who are donning the Footscray name this week for retro round—back into finals contention. This turnaround has validated the pre-season review’s conclusion that improvement required sharing the load of their captain.
Treloar, who is currently 10th in the Coaches’ Association Award standings, just seven votes behind Bontempelli, acknowledges that the team realized they were demanding too much from Bontempelli. “There has been a bit of a focus on helping ‘Bont’,” Treloar said. “You want to play with champion players but you never want to solely rely on someone. At times [last year] Bont would single-handedly get us across the line.”
In the last three wins, Bontempelli has contributed without dominating, indicated by receiving just one coaches’ vote in that period. This shows his teammates, with Treloar being best on ground in the past two games, are stepping up.
The Bulldogs’ turnaround began after their unexpected loss to Hawthorn in round nine, which left them with three wins and five losses. At that time, Treloar was one of the few Bulldogs performing well. The team met that week to address some issues and refocused on implementing a system to establish their identity. Since then, they have won seven matches, with their three losses coming to Sydney (whom they defeated in the return match last week), the Brisbane Lions, and a lackluster game against Port Adelaide.
Now, Footscray face a must-win match against their rivals Melbourne, wearing retro jumpers and harboring familiar dreams.
Treloar recalls the 2021 grand final vividly. Having now played in two losing AFL grand finals (he was a key player in the Magpies’ 2018 run), his desire to win that elusive flag drives him. “I have never won ‘a granny’ in my life, to be honest, so that is the ultimate that I am chasing and the whole reason that I play,” Treloar said. “My whole reason for playing AFL football is to win a flag and if I wasn’t in that situation I would be seriously questioning whether I want to do this or not.”
Another reason he plays is for his family. Hordes will be there on Friday night to watch his 250th match, a milestone only 286 players have reached before him. Among the supporters will be his partner Kim, daughter Georgie, and his extended family, who have always been in his corner.
No matter what happens, Treloar plans to savor the moment as he runs through the banner with his daughter, recreating what he considers his greatest football highlight to date: the day he held Georgie in his arms while running out in Ballarat for his 200th match.
Treloar is back to his best and relishing the experience.
“They can see I am enjoying it as much as I can, and I am trying not to take football as seriously as I used to … is it a job? Not really. This is something that we love, and I am grateful to be here,” Treloar said.