Set the tone: Why Cornes has star Docker in the gun

Kane Cornes has put Fremantle forward Josh Treacy in the gun ahead of Friday’s Semi-Final against Geelong in Perth.

The All-Australian centre-half-forward was poor in Freo’s shock Qualifying Final loss to Hawthorn, having just one kick which came in the fourth quarter of the 32-point defeat.

Having kicked 55 goals this season so far, Cornes called on the ‘Big Cohuna’ to set the tone in the win-or-go-home game.

Cornes expects the big forward to respond in a big way under pressure.

“Well, I think the man that needs to set the tone is the Big Cohuna, Josh Treacy,” Cornes said on SEN Fireball.

“He did not have a kick until about the last eight minutes of that game last week. Not one kick.

“I thought in his first contest he was pushed under the ball far too easily.

“For me he's in the absolute prime of his career. 24 years of age, All-Australian, physical beast. That's what we need to see, and I think we will see that.

“I think he's the one that's going to respond tonight. He’s 100 kg, he’s 6 foot 5. Make an impact, make a statement.

“I’m not sure there's anyone that can really go with him from Geelong tonight. I'm not sure what the match-up will be and what it looks like.”

Cornes’ co-host David King, who is also a big fan of Treacy, ponders whether he’s reached a point in 2026 where he’s spent all of his tickets.

While King fears that Treacy might be tired after playing 24 brutal games, Cornes says there’s no time to be fatigued on Semi-Final weekend.

King: “Do you think he looked tired last week? This is my fear with this guy.”

Cornes: “You think they cooked him?”

King: “We've talked about him all year, resting him, don't travel him. He's asked to do more than any other key forward in the competition.

“To just bring the ball to ground, we've seen him contort his body, cause a crash on the wing, cause a crash at the top of the goal square. I think he plays the most punishing role in the game, and he's played 24 games this year.”

Cornes: “No time to be tired tonight.”

King:“No one plans on being tired for a final, but I looked at him last week, and I thought, ‘Jeez, he run aground?’. So that'll be a watch tonight. A big watch.”

Friday’s game begins at 8:10 pm AEST and 6:10 pm local time. Listen to all of the action on SEN and the SEN app.