Alex Pearce Biography

Fremantle names Alex Pearce as its new captain, with Caleb Serong and Andrew Brayshaw to serve as vice-captains.

Nat Fyfe will captain Fremantle for a sixth straight year in 2022, heading a five-man leadership consisting of Andrew Brayshaw, Alex Pearce, David Mundy, and newly promoted Caleb Serong.

Michael Walters has decided to step down from the leadership group in 2022 after five years in the role.

Alex Pearce undergoes his third bout of surgery to the ankle that has kept him out of action since round 11 in 2019.

"Alex consulted a specialist and the advice was that he undergo surgery on a small area of the fracture at the front of his ankle," general manager of football Peter Bell said.

"Once Alex has recovered from the surgery and commenced his rehabilitation phase we will have a better understanding of when he can resume training."

Nat Fyfe will continue as captain for the fourth straight season after the Dockers named an unchanged leadership group for 2020.

Fyfe will be supported by veteran David Mundy, star Michael Walters, key defenders Alex Pearce and Joel Hamling, and Reece Conca.

"I think it's a great decision by the playing group to stick with the exact leadership group in 2020," Fyfe said.

"It shows that what the guys delivered in terms of setting the standards and leading in the right direction was on track.

"I think the six guys that we've got in there with Michael Walters, David Mundy, Joel Hamling, Reece Conca, Alex Pearce and myself, there's good touch points across the whole group."

Alex Pearce is confident he can clear any hurdles returning from the cruel blow of another serious injury setback.

Pearce emerged on crutches from St John of God Hospital after successful surgery to insert screws and a plate in the fractured left ankle he suffered during the thrilling win over Collingwood last Saturday at the MCG.

"I have been in this situation before so I know what it feels (like). This injury certainly isn't as bad as my last one," Pearce said.

"I missed almost 20 months of footy with the last one, and was able to come back and be a better player on my return, so that's going to be my focus on this recovery as well.

"Hopefully I'll have a full pre-season, get to work and come back a better player than what we've seen this year."

Alex Pearce will miss the rest of the season after scans confirmed a fractured left ankle suffered in Fremantle's thrilling win over Collingwood.

Pearce's injury is a huge blow only 32 games after his long-awaited comeback from a twice-broken right leg.

"While it is frustrating for Alex, we know how incredibly resilient and diligent he has proven to be in the past when it comes to recovering from a long-term injury," general manager of football Peter Bell said.

"We are confident that Alex will tackle this latest setback with the same level of determination and drive, so he can be back playing as soon as possible."

Alex Pearce has taken five seasons and scaled countless obstacles to make it to 50 games, which is why he doesn't take a single one for granted.

"It's taken me a bit longer than what I would have hoped," Pearce said.

"When I try to reflect a little bit and look back on how I got here, it is nice knowing some of the places I've been, some of the injuries I've had to be able to get through and get to where I am now.

"It is, I guess, just a stepping stone on what else further I want to achieve and games I want to play. But it's certainly a nice one to tick off."

Luke Ryan believes Dockers teammates Alex Pearce and Joel Hamling deserve to be rated up there with the AFL's best key defensive duos after their impressive form so far in 2019.

Freo ranks second for fewest points conceded (457) and both Pearce and Hamling have been mentioned in early All Australian conversations.

"It's a pretty good combo, they're both young, haven't played that many games as of yet, to see what they're doing now is pretty special," Ryan said.

"The way they're playing at the moment, it's pretty hard to get past them.

"Joel and Alex have been playing super this year, to keep them out on the field and them playing the way they are is going to be good for us in the long term."

Nat Fyfe will lead the Dockers for a third season as skipper in 2019, while Joel Hamling joins off-season recruit Reece Conca as a new leader, with David Mundy, Michael Walters and Alex Pearce making up the rest of the group.

Veteran ruckman Aaron Sandilands has stepped aside after a 10-year stint.

Alex Pearce is balancing bulking up with maintaining his agility as he prepares for more taxing jobs on the AFL's power forwards in 2019.

"I think that's a pretty good weight for me at the moment, and with my history of injuries it's been a pretty slow build to get to my goal weight and I think I'm still going, I've still got a few kilos left in me," Pearce said.

"When you look at some of the big forwards in the competition, they can be up around 105-110kg, so if I can bridge that gap a little bit and then maintain my real strengths, which is probably my speed and agility when the ball hits the ground, I think it will help."

Alex Pearce is expected to miss two games after undergoing surgery for a broken thumb, sustained in the Dockers' three-point win over Adelaide.

"He was tough enough to play through but, unfortunately, we had to go to surgery to get it repaired," Fremantle high performance manager Jason Weber said.

"Hopefully, according to the surgeon, we can turn it around in three weeks."

Alex Pearce has been added to an expanded Fremantle leadership group in 2018, which will be led by captain Nat Fyfe for the second season.

Bradley Hill the other new addition to the group after an outstanding first season with the club.

Michael Walters, Lachie Neale, David Mundy and Aaron Sandilands retained their leadership roles, while veteran defender Lee Spurr was the only player to make way from the 2017 group.

Alex Pearce will make his long-awaited return to football after recovering from two broken legs via the JLT Community Series in 2018.

"He's a driven, focused individual. He's certainly leadership material stamped all over him, and a future captain of AFL football," Fremantle coach Ross Lyon said of Pearce.

"Two years of rehab is monotonous and mentally draining, but he's back, and once you're back and you're going well, everything else seems to be forgotten."

Alex Pearce signs a new two-year deal to remain with Fremantle until the end of 2020.

"I'm really enjoying being around the club at the moment and I have a lot I want to achieve personally and with the club as well," Pearce said.

After more than 560 days away from the main group at Fremantle training, Alex Pearce joins his teammates in some drills as he continues recovering from a badly broken right leg suffered more than a year ago.

"I got the call-up to join in with the first couple of drills at training, which is the first time since round nine, 2016," Pearce said.

"It's been a long time coming. It was a pretty special day actually, to be out there with the boys and to finally join back in."

Alex Pearce has been guaranteed he won't face further complications with his right leg and expects to be firing for Fremantle's round one clash against Port Adelaide in 2018.

"I am really confident that I'll be right. In the back of your mind, there's always some doubt but with any injury, you never know what's going to happen," Pearce said.

"From my surgeons and doctors, they say it will be 100 per cent strong and it'll never happen again, so I trust them."

Alex Pearce will take another positive step in his return to football when he joins in the Dockers' pre-season training.

"Alex is up and running; he's had a strong running program over the off-season period," Dockers' high-performance manager Jason Weber said.

"There will be modifications, obviously. Alex had some challenges, but we expect him to get to a standard that will see him play AFL football."

Alex Pearce suffers a setback in his recovery from a broken leg, with a partial fracture set to sideline the emerging tall defender indefinitely.

Pearce broke his right tibia against Richmond in round nine last year after landing awkwardly from a marking contest and missed the rest of the season.

The 21-year-old had been building his way towards full pre-season training, before hurting the same leg during a running drill at Fremantle Oval.

"Alex won’t need to undergo any surgery to the leg, however he will be required to wear a weight-bearing cast for six weeks to maximise his rehabilitation," Dockers general manager football operations Chris Bond said.

"It’s just an unfortunate incident that happened during a standard running session with our rehab group.

"Alex is in good spirits despite the setback, and he and our medical team are focused on ensuring he has an impact in the 2017 season."

Alex Pearce says his strong bond with teammate Nat Fyfe helped him get through the lows of his broken leg earlier this year.

"With injuries like mine, you need a lot of support through different people, and Nat's definitely one who I've drawn a lot from," Pearce said.

"He's helped me a lot by keeping me in a good positive headspace moving forward.

"After surgery, there can be a few tough weeks when you're sitting at home not doing a great deal.

"All through the year we had those conversations about how hungry we were to get back and how tough it is watching.

"That helps drive us during this period of pre-season."

Nat Fyfe says he has been training hard with Alex Pearce in the United States with both players having fully recovered from a broken leg injury.

"Alex and I are doing a two week intensive training camp both coming off end stage rehab for our broken legs," Fyfe said.

"We’ve been turning at a gym designed for MMA, boxing, NHL and NFL athletes, and training at a college facility down the road for our running.

"The training facility’s designed for former and current elite athletes of different codes. I spent some time with NHL athlete Nate Thompson, a former NFL linebacker.

"Just being able to pick their brains and ask a few things about their respective sports has been eye opening."

Alex Pearce is set to miss the rest of the season after breaking his leg during Fremantle's loss to Richmond.

Pearce landed horribly on his right leg in a marking contest in the last quarter of the 38-point loss at Domain Stadium.

His ankle appeared to turn badly and he could not put any weight through the leg after the incident.

He was carried off by the trainers and did not take any further part in the match.

Fremantle coach Ross Lyon confirmed that the promising youngster had broken his tibia and would miss the rest of the season.

"We're really quite upset at the minute," Lyon said.

"It doesn't look great. It's a confirmed tibia. So it's broken. It will obviously be the season.

"It's really, really upsetting."

Fremantle coach Ross Lyon says he's keen to persist with the experiment of using young defender Alex Pearce as a key forward.

Pearce was thrust forward a fortnight ago to partner Matthew Pavlich in attack after Zac Clarke and Matt Taberner failed in the role.

The 20-year-old has managed just two goals in his two games since that time, but he has had seven shots on goal - giving Lyon optimism that better things are to come.

"He's really quick, 196cm, and a really smart, young player," Lyon said of Pearce.

"We're thrilled with him. He's another piece of the puzzle that helps us. It's been a real positive for us.

"We tend to keep him in the front half, because he puts on good pressure and is a viable marking option, and finding the ball a fair bit."

Alex Pearce makes his AFL debut for Fremantle with 10 disposals (3 kicks and 7 handballs), 6 marks and 2 tackles in a 28-point win over Essendon.