Latest news with #AlexPearce
Perth Now
5 days ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
Pearce could miss another fortnight as leg injury lingers
The retired AFL superstars will return to the field for blockbuster clash Fremantle captain Alex Pearce has suffered another blow in his quest to be fit for the team's run home, with the star defender ruled out for up to two weeks due to his leg injury. Pearce has played only one game since reporting leg pain following the club's round 11 win over Port Adelaide. He missed victories over Gold Coast, Essendon, North Melbourne and St Kilda, and also had a week off due to Fremantle's bye before returning to face Sydney in round 17. But the experienced big man again pulled up sore and sat out last weekend's win over Hawthorn. Now he won't play against Collingwood at the MCG on Sunday and is in doubt for the Western Derby the following week. That could leave him with only four games to build fitness at the end of the season while the club is fighting for a finals spot. 'Moose is still dealing with a little bit of awareness down in that area, so he's going to be around one to two weeks away,' Fremantle High Performance Manager Phil Merriman said. Alex Pearce won't play this week. Credit: Darrian Traynor / Getty Images But in positive news, midfielder Hayden Young only has to get through training to be declared available to play for the first time since round eight. Fremantle must decide whether he is ready to play a full game, play as the sub or build match fitness through the WAFL. But forward Michael Frederick said the team was eagerly anticipating the impact his kicking would have on the group. 'You get a lot of confidence from it,' Frederick said. 'I'm sure the big boys like Josh Treacy and Jye Amiss love it. We always want the ball in his hands because he can create so much for us. For him to hopefully come back this week would be nice and add to what we're trying to strive for. 'He's done a mountain of work, and I know he's not far. Knowing what he can add to the team - he hasn't played too many games this year, and it'd be nice to see him in the midfield with Andy and Shai, and Caleb. It adds another strength to us. Hayden Young. Credit: Riley Churchman / The West Australian 'He's been someone that's been able to play in multiple positions well. I'm certainly excited, and I'm sure he is to. He'd be itching for it.' The Dockers' injury list is rapidly shrinking. Will Brodie is on track to play in the WAFL after recovering from concussion, while Nat Fyfe (calf) and Cooper Simpson (AC joint) are now listed as only one week away. When Pearce, Fyfe and Simpson return, the Dockers will only have rookie Aiden Riddle (foot) and inactive youngster Odin Jones (back) unavailable.
West Australian
5 days ago
- Sport
- West Australian
Fremantle Dockers captain Alex Pearce ruled out of clash against Collingwood Magpies amid persistent shin pain
Fremantle captain Alex Pearce has suffered another blow in his quest to be fit for the team's run home, with the star defender ruled out for up to two weeks due to his leg injury. Pearce has played only one game since reporting leg pain following the club's round 11 win over Port Adelaide. He missed victories over Gold Coast, Essendon, North Melbourne and St Kilda, and also had a week off due to Fremantle's bye before returning to face Sydney in round 17. But the experienced big man again pulled up sore and sat out last weekend's win over Hawthorn. Now he won't play against Collingwood at the MCG on Sunday and is in doubt for the Western Derby the following week. That could leave him with only four games to build fitness at the end of the season while the club is fighting for a finals spot. 'Moose is still dealing with a little bit of awareness down in that area, so he's going to be around one to two weeks away,' Fremantle High Performance Manager Phil Merriman said. But in positive news, midfielder Hayden Young only has to get through training to be declared available to play for the first time since round eight. Fremantle must decide whether he is ready to play a full game, play as the sub or build match fitness through the WAFL. But forward Michael Frederick said the team was eagerly anticipating the impact his kicking would have on the group. 'You get a lot of confidence from it,' Frederick said. 'I'm sure the big boys like Josh Treacy and Jye Amiss love it. We always want the ball in his hands because he can create so much for us. For him to hopefully come back this week would be nice and add to what we're trying to strive for. 'He's done a mountain of work, and I know he's not far. Knowing what he can add to the team - he hasn't played too many games this year, and it'd be nice to see him in the midfield with Andy and Shai, and Caleb. It adds another strength to us. 'He's been someone that's been able to play in multiple positions well. I'm certainly excited, and I'm sure he is to. He'd be itching for it.' The Dockers' injury list is rapidly shrinking. Will Brodie is on track to play in the WAFL after recovering from concussion, while Nat Fyfe (calf) and Cooper Simpson (AC joint) are now listed as only one week away. When Pearce, Fyfe and Simpson return, the Dockers will only have rookie Aiden Riddle (foot) and inactive youngster Odin Jones (back) unavailable.
Perth Now
24-06-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Freo to make captain's call as Pearce a test to face Saints
Fremantle has left the door ajar for captain Alex Pearce to return from injury for Sunday's revenge battle with St Kilda at Optus Stadium. Pearce has been sidelined for 32 days with a stress-related shin injury, but appeared comfortable when he was put through his paces by coaching staff yesterday at the first of two main sessions for the week. The tall defender will face a fitness test on Thursday when the club will weigh up the pros and cons of playing him against a relatively small forward line or giving him another week of rest. Pearce last played in the club's round 11 win over Port Adelaide when he copped a three-match on a rough conduct charge before having it overturned. He took a big step towards a return yesterday, running laps, short sprints, lateral movement exercises and kicking practice. 'He's progressed really well over the last week,' high performance manager Phil Merriman said of Pearce, who recently turned 30. 'We just need to see a little bit more later in the week. Pictured is Alex Pearce at Fremantle Dockers training, Victor George Kailis Oval, Cockburn Perth. Credit: Riley Churchman / The West Australian 'He will be a test to play.' The Dockers will be desperate to exact revenge for the 61-point humiliation they copped from the Saints the last time they played in round eight. The Saints are without full-forward Max King, who was this week sent for a third bout of knee surgery and was ruled out for the remainder of the season. Cooper Sharman (three goals) and Mitch Owens (three) were the chief destroyers in that game but neither presents a realistic match-up for Pearce. Midfielder Will Brodie, who is yet to play in the AFL this season, will be unavailable with concussion, following a head collision in the opening minutes of Peel Thunder's WAFL fixture against South Fremantle at the weekend. 'He (Brodie) got a head knock, so he's entered into concussion protocols,' Merriman said. 'He's in good spirits around the club and we expect him to be available next week.' Gun midfielder Hayden Young made a return to the main group yesterday and is tracking well for a return in the lead up to the finals after recovering from hamstring surgery. He has been listed as three to four weeks from a return. Small forward Sam Switkowski is one to two weeks away from a return from a hamstring strain. Forward Sam Sturt is also working his way back to a return from a knee injury that has kept him out of action so far in 2025. 'He's (Sturt) progressing really well,' Merriman said. 'He's had a good week or two on the track, so he'll do a controlled football session this week, with the plan to play next week.' Sam Sturt at Fremantle training. Credit: Justin Benson-Cooper / The West Australian Ruck/forward Aiden Riddle is set for a stint on the sidelines with a foot injury. Selected in last year's Rookie Draft, Riddle made his WAFL League debut for Peel Thunder in Round 1, kicking seven goals in eight appearances. 'Unfortunately, he's (Riddle) picked up a little bit of a stress reaction in his foot,' Merriman confirmed. 'He's off legs for the next few weeks and will then go through a reloading period. 'Hopefully, we'll see him back towards the end of the year.' Sunday's match will be Fremantle's annual Starlight Purple Haze Game in which the club raises money for the Starlight Children's Foundation.
West Australian
05-06-2025
- Politics
- West Australian
The Snitch: What losing Tasmania as 19th AFL club could mean for Fremantle Dockers
The Snitch is a proud 'yes' man. I only ever vote yes in referendums despite our country's historical lean to a no. It's just my positive nature. Ask Mrs Snitch. I always find it hard to say 'no' to anything my dear lady requests, whether it was the peculiar mix of Penfolds Grange and Devils on Horseback at our wedding reception at El Caballo Blanco, or her insistence we ride to the chapel in a racing green Dymaxion replica. So I have been flummoxed with with all of this pushback from Tasmanians on having an AFL team. It's all so negative and small-town minded. The thought of missing out on a stadium, and therefore a team, because of political squabbling and local myopia, has brought Tasmanian's finest footy players to tears this week. Why wouldn't you want an AFL team in your State? Yes, Tassie's greatest tourism asset lies in its diverse landscape and rich history, from Cradle Mountain to Port Arthur, but this would surely ramp it up a notch. If I am honest, only one good thing will come from a team not landing in Van Diemen's Land and that would be the likelihood Alex Pearce would remain at Fremantle for the duration of his career. Alex has Palawa heritage and grew up in Ulverstone on Tassie's north coast. He'll be 31 by Tasmania's intended AFL debut in 2028, but would be just the type of experienced and balanced footballer and all-round good chap the Devils would be looking for to lead their inaugural team. The transformation of the ugly Macquarie Point Sewage Treatment Plant into a boutique stadium worth a few Tassie truffles short of $1 billion has poured new salt on to old north v south wounds in the State. On Thursday, Tasmania's Liberal Party Premier Jeremy Rockliff lost a vote of no confidence over a looming $1 billion budget deficit and will now call a snap election. The deficit and now the election mean the AFL team is in doubt given the league has made the new roofed stadium a condition of a 19th licence. Media giant Eddie McGuire summed it up best when he said: 'What Tasmania doesn't need is every week to have an advertisement that they are a second-rate state. I think Tasmania deserves to be finally seen for the great state that it is.' He's right. If they want to remain blissfully second rate, then we have to let them. It's their call. They are busy subversives Tasmanians, just like West Aussies, after all. Remember, Tassie is an actual island. We are like one given our distance from the east. Which brings me to my favourite Tassie story and a perfect segue out of this misery. Back in 1982, the Commonwealth Games opened in Brisbane to great fanfare. Matilda the giant kangaroo was the centrepiece as she circled the QEII Stadium, winked and opened her pouch to enable hundreds of kids to pour out and form a human map of Australia. The Snitch was one of those kids – with my aptly named best mate Cliff – positioned to form the Nullarbor Plain. It was all going splendidly until we realised there was a gaping error. We'd left Tasmania off the human map. I recall talking to the one kid who was solely responsible for that role. He mumbled something about eating too many apples and sprinted to the nearest toilet and, you guessed it, missed the cut when we boarded Matilda. The outrage was loud from Tasmanians. It was another slap in the face from the mainland. Realising the gravity of his absence when he emerged from the lav to find we had all left without him, 'Tassie' leapt the fence in a futile effort to address the geographical gaffe, but sadly, we'd already broken away. A bit like Tassie right now. Say no to the AFL and you deserve to be permanently cut adrift, leaving you to float south where you will somewhat ironically bump into Macquarie Island before clattering into the frozen pole of Antarctica.
Perth Now
29-05-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Fyfe's IN! Star veteran locked in for first game of 2025
Nat Fyfe has been inserted directly into Fremantle's AFL side for his first taste of footy in seven weeks, with the two-time Brownlow medallist among three inclusions for the Dockers against Gold Coast. It comes as coach Justin Longmuir put his faith in Sean Darcy to resume his ruck partnership with Luke Jackson, while dealing with the unexpected loss of Alex Pearce through injury. SCROLL DOWN TO SEE THE FULL FREO LINE-UP Pearce has suffered a stress injury in his shin, with the club set to take a cautious approach with the 29-year-old who only days earlier overcoming his three-match suspension at the AFL Tribunal. 'On Tuesday, Pearce advised the club that he had some lingering pain in his lower leg following Saturday night's win over Port Adelaide,' the Dockers said in a statement. 'Pearce had sustained an impact injury earlier in the season, though investigations did not find any abnormalities. Further investigation after a scan on Wednesday revealed a stress response in his left shin. 'Pearce will now undergo a deloading period and complete an off legs program. He will be reassessed after the club's bye when Fremantle will be able to provide a further update.' Alex Pearce is out. Credit: Janelle St Pierre / AFL Photos Fyfe hasn't played at AFL level since Fremantle's final home-and-away game of last season, with the 240-game veteran's 2025 campaign disrupted by a string of injuries. The 33-year-old suffered a hamstring setback playing for the Dockers' affiliate side Peel at WAFL level in April, having had minor knee surgery earlier in the year. Fyfe looms as a potential substitute option and will become the first 200-gamer to feature in a game for Fremantle this year, with the former skipper's inclusion a boost to the side's leadership in the absence of Pearce. Josh Draper returns as a like-for-like replacement for Pearce in defence, while Darcy will be desperate for a clean run of health after being inserted to help nullify the influence of Jarrod Witts. Isaiah Dudley was ruled out earlier on Thursday with a personal issue, with Cooper Simpson (shoulder) the other absentee from last week's win over Port Adelaide. James Aish travelled as an emergency, while Andrew Brayshaw will captain the side in Pearce's absence. The Suns recalled Ned Moyle to partner Witts in the ruck against Freo's twin towers, with Leo Lombard to make his long-awaited debut. Malcolm Rosas and Ethan Read have both been dropped. Gold Coast are yet to lose a home fixture this season, which includes two matches at their People First Stadium base at Carrara and two at their home-away-from-home at Darwin's TIO Stadium. B: L Ryan, J Draper, B Cox HB: H Chapman, K Worner, J Clark C: J Sharp, S Bolton, M Johnson HF: M Frederick, S Switkowski, M Reid F: P Voss, J Treacy, J Amiss R: L Jackson, C Serong, A Brayshaw IC: N Fyfe, N Erasmus, C Wagner, S Darcy, B Banfield EMG: H Davies, J Aish, N O'Driscoll
