News New Captain for 2023 - Alex Pearce

[Snuffaluphagus]

Pearce officially captain

'It was unanimous across the board' | Peter Bell

Hear from Peter Bell following the announcement of Alex Pearce as captain.

www.fremantlefc.com.au

 

[Snuffaluphagus]

I think he was a good KPD (not elite) last year, I think when the midfield isnt getting obliterated, he's been ok this year. He is clearly significantly down on form and that's no doubt due to carrying injuries this year and pushing through due to being Captain and Cox getting injured at the wrong time. I think he can get back to his best next year free from injury and burden - this year would take it out of any captain.

I think focusing on marshalling just the backline will be best for everyone next year. Regardless of his personality that a lot of dont see, I dont think it would be a stretch Kenyan to suggest he's more a nice guy leader like JL? There's certainly not a Carr type hard nosed arseh*le aura about him and I think it's something the players desperately need from someone in leadership with too many same types between Murphy, Pearce, JL, Graham and Boyd

 

[Kenyan]

I think he was a good KPD (not elite) last year, I think when the midfield isnt getting obliterated, he's been ok this year. He is clearly significantly down on form and that's no doubt due to carrying injuries this year and pushing through due to being Captain and Cox getting injured at the wrong time. I think he can get back to his best next year free from injury and burden - this year would take it out of any captain.

I think focusing on marshalling just the backline will be best for everyone next year. Regardless of his personality that a lot of dont see, I dont think it would be a stretch Kenyan to suggest he's more a nice guy leader like JL? There's certainly not a Carr type hard nosed a-hole aura about him and I think it's something the players desperately need from someone in leadership with too many same types between Murphy, Pearce, JL, Graham and Boyd

So all the club needs is someone like a hard nosed Josh Carr to fire them up. Or maybe some realistic supporters that understand where the list is at.

Midfield from Saturdays game:
Serong 22
Brayshaw 23
Erasmus 19
Johnson 20
Jackson 19
Henry 21

Of the 85 stoppages for the game, Brayshaw attended 82% and did not have one clearance.

The captaincy narrative is very convenient and it creates 'outrage fodder' for Kane Cornes, but the real issue a very young and inexperienced midfield that is getting smashed almost every week.

 

[Cobbler]

Cobbler you were a big proponent of getting rid of Logue but I’ll tell you what - I’d have him back anyday over pearce or hamling now.
Trading a top 10 KPP pick out at age 25 was a shambles and now we are sitting bottom 4 with two crocks in our defence as KPDs and desperately hoping 18 year old Hugh Davies comes on?
Shambles.

I’ll defend this.
I gave Logue a bashing BUT I made several references to him not being able to play in the same defense as Pearce.

Now along those lines and I’m hopeful many posters would agree, I wasn’t a big fan of Pearce either.

I saw both as pure lock down defenders with minimal impact offensively. You couldn’t have 2 in same defense.

It was along those lines that Logue had to go DESPITE me saying he had done incredibly well to restablish himself in our forward line AND when played in defense he had done great.

Chapman being out also needs to be taken into consideration.

Pearce is a lock down key defender. That is all. Literally no other option.

Logue is a lockdown key defender. Unfortunately they tried to play in other various roles.

 

[Snuffaluphagus]

So all the club needs is someone like a hard nosed Josh Carr to fire them up. Or maybe some realistic supporters that understand where the list is at.

Midfield from Saturdays game:
Serong 22
Brayshaw 23
Erasmus 19
Johnson 20
Jackson 19
Henry 21

Of the 85 stoppages for the game, Brayshaw attended 82% and did not have one clearance.

The captaincy narrative is very convenient and it creates 'outrage fodder' for Kane Cornes, but the real issue a very young and inexperienced midfield that is getting smashed almost every week.

I've talked about my feelings on the season and where it's wrong elsewhere and I'm not blaming him for the season as a whole but the club needs a harder edge. While I think there are some ridiculous OTT claims on his form in here I also want him at his best and I think even you'd admit it's been a down year for him.

 

[Cobbler]

Cobbler you were a big proponent of getting rid of Logue but I’ll tell you what - I’d have him back anyday over pearce or hamling now.
Trading a top 10 KPP pick out at age 25 was a shambles and now we are sitting bottom 4 with two crocks in our defence as KPDs and desperately hoping 18 year old Hugh Davies comes on?
Shambles.

Logue would also get exposed through what our midfield is doing.
Logue has also had past injury issues and in the tone of Ricky Ponting ‘Well he’s gone now…’

Hamling is absolutely done. Genuinely confused as to what people are seeing with him back.

You’d think we’re winning!

 

[mightymouse75]

Did the club pick Pearce knowing that it was going to be a tough year and didn't want the young fellas in serong and Brayshaw getting lynched ??

 

[mad about it]

So all the club needs is someone like a hard nosed Josh Carr to fire them up. Or maybe some realistic supporters that understand where the list is at.

Midfield from Saturdays game:
Serong 22
Brayshaw 23
Erasmus 19
Johnson 20
Jackson 19
Henry 21

Of the 85 stoppages for the game, Brayshaw attended 82% and did not have one clearance.

The captaincy narrative is very convenient and it creates 'outrage fodder' for Kane Cornes, but the real issue a very young and inexperienced midfield that is getting smashed almost every week.

Kenyan, wasting your time here. JL & AP are easy targets, no mention of these two last season when we were winning ?? Eating their own now. Be great playing in the backline the way our midfields going at the moment ?

 

[greatgatsby]

So all the club needs is someone like a hard nosed Josh Carr to fire them up. Or maybe some realistic supporters that understand where the list is at.

Midfield from Saturdays game:
Serong 22
Brayshaw 23
Erasmus 19
Johnson 20
Jackson 19
Henry 21

Of the 85 stoppages for the game, Brayshaw attended 82% and did not have one clearance.

The captaincy narrative is very convenient and it creates 'outrage fodder' for Kane Cornes, but the real issue a very young and inexperienced midfield that is getting smashed almost every week.

I largely agree, however, I think it will be important to move on from Alex.

 

[King Tenz]

So all the club needs is someone like a hard nosed Josh Carr to fire them up. Or maybe some realistic supporters that understand where the list is at.

Midfield from Saturdays game:
Serong 22
Brayshaw 23
Erasmus 19
Johnson 20
Jackson 19
Henry 21

Of the 85 stoppages for the game, Brayshaw attended 82% and did not have one clearance.

The captaincy narrative is very convenient and it creates 'outrage fodder' for Kane Cornes, but the real issue a very young and inexperienced midfield that is getting smashed almost every week.

Yeah nah, Alex Pearce still sucks. Wish the Tassie team would be ready tomorrow so he can take a hike back home, which he so clearly wants to do.

 

[s_wd6]

JL on 7 saying Alex hasn't trained all year. Can't understand why they insisted on doing that instead of giving him a few weeks to recover and get back to his best rather than have him churn our below average performances every week. I don't think Hamling would have been a downgrade at all.

 

[wakojako]

JL on 7 saying Alex hasn't trained all year. Can't understand why they insisted on doing that instead of giving him a few weeks to recover and get back to his best rather than have him churn our below average performances every week. I don't think Hamling would have been a downgrade at all.

Geez this club is being managed like a basket case.

 

[King Huskii]

JL on 7 saying Alex hasn't trained all year. Can't understand why they insisted on doing that instead of giving him a few weeks to recover and get back to his best rather than have him churn our below average performances every week. I don't think Hamling would have been a downgrade at all.

He did a fair bit of pre season, maybe regular season. He hurt his leg or knee against Adelaide in the pre season.

The season is over you might as well rest him. Wtf are they doing

 

[Snuffaluphagus]

Yeah nah, Alex Pearce still sucks. Wish the Tassie team would be ready tomorrow so he can take a hike back home, which he so clearly wants to do.

C'mon man, the guys body is clearly really struggling and you're now talking to someone who is clearly close to Alex so you're just being a dick. It's one thing to post on here in general, it's other another to level vitriol at a player directly at someone with a relationship with said player.

 

[Deathly]

The club shouldn't have forced it on him and Pearce shouldn't have given the most reluctant "Sure" ever when accepting it.

Should have stayed Fyfe, who pllayed more games than last season anyways.

This way Pearce either continues from 2022 with less responsibility and pressure he obviously can't handle, whilst even giving Brayshaw & Serong a few runs trialing the role in this throwaway season.

 

[Van_Dyke]

That's a great analysis and based on 2023's form and age profile I'd have to agree with you. Alex has shown a lot of good things over the years but drive is not one of his strengths.

what do you mean by drive?

 

[Dockeroo]

Logue would also get exposed through what our midfield is doing.
Logue has also had past injury issues and in the tone of Ricky Ponting ‘Well he’s gone now…’

Hamling is absolutely done. Genuinely confused as to what people are seeing with him back.

You’d think we’re winning!

Yeah fair enough - I certainly agree regarding Hamling. There’s already a critical mass of guys who can’t dispose of the ball well by foot without adding more

 

[rgauci]

So all the club needs is someone like a hard nosed Josh Carr to fire them up. Or maybe some realistic supporters that understand where the list is at.

Midfield from Saturdays game:
Serong 22
Brayshaw 23
Erasmus 19
Johnson 20
Jackson 19
Henry 21

Of the 85 stoppages for the game, Brayshaw attended 82% and did not have one clearance.

The captaincy narrative is very convenient and it creates 'outrage fodder' for Kane Cornes, but the real issue a very young and inexperienced midfield that is getting smashed almost every week.

Jackson is 21 and JOM is 29. So I agree they need to mature but they held their own against Sydney. The back line (not only Pearce) were poor defending the inside 50. Sydney scored with ease.

 

[Dockeroo]

The interview by JL was very revealing this evening. Pearce hasn’t done anything wrong by playing through the pain barrier - my issue is with the match committee that keeps forcing him to front up.
Let the guy go away and get right for next year. Give him a fair crack for gods sake!
Why on earth are they forcing him to play if he can’t train?

Longer term, we really can not knowingly go into next season with such an injury prone player as captain. It’s not fair on him not the rest of the team.
Pearce should focus on getting his body right and that’s all. Find his best form and he’s a B22 lock. Albeit I would like a game plan built around him not disposing of the ball by foot where possible as I don’t think he was ever a great kick even fully fit.

 

[Cobbler]

The interview by JL was very revealing this evening. Pearce hasn’t done anything wrong by playing through the pain barrier - my issue is with the match committee that keeps forcing him to front up.
Let the guy go away and get right for next year. Give him a fair crack for gods sake!
Why on earth are they forcing him to play if he can’t train?

Longer term, we really can not knowingly go into next season with such an injury prone player as captain. It’s not fair on him not the rest of the team.
Pearce should focus on getting his body right and that’s all. Find his best form and he’s a B22 lock. Albeit I would like a game plan built around him not disposing of the ball by foot where possible as I don’t think he was ever a great kick even fully fit.

It’s not so much that he’s not a great kick, although he actually isn’t. It’s that he’s a horrid decision maker as evidenced countless times when he receives the ball.

He doesn’t offer handballs for run.

He goes back off his mark. Pauses for his full 8 seconds. He makes it look like he’s looking around, but we all know he’s going long down the line to an out number.

The only time he looks reasonably fluid, is when he comes off his man to intercept and creates a chaos scrambling movement of taps and running blindly with the ball… which then often also just leads to a bomb forward.

At his best he was/ is an outstanding stopper. If he ain’t got that he’s just an absolute liability.

He won’t be captain next year.

 

[rgauci]

The interview by JL was very revealing this evening. Pearce hasn’t done anything wrong by playing through the pain barrier - my issue is with the match committee that keeps forcing him to front up.
Let the guy go away and get right for next year. Give him a fair crack for gods sake!
Why on earth are they forcing him to play if he can’t train?

Longer term, we really can not knowingly go into next season with such an injury prone player as captain. It’s not fair on him not the rest of the team.
Pearce should focus on getting his body right and that’s all. Find his best form and he’s a B22 lock. Albeit I would like a game plan built around him not disposing of the ball by foot where possible as I don’t think he was ever a great kick even fully fit.

I saw that interview and wondered wtf we were thinking. It serves no-one seeing him front up one footed and get beaten. Give Cox and Ryan the key defensive spots and let Pearce play 15 quality games.

I’m still dubious he can play at a level required for a whole season. I think we need to invest in another key backman.

Would anyone be opposed to a 2-3 year contract for Jeremy McGovern? Could we get his injury issues sorted. Surely between Pearce, Cox and McGovern we’d have 2 fit and firing at a time….

 

[Cobbler]

I saw that interview and wondered wtf we were thinking. It serves no-one seeing him front up one footed and get beaten. Give Cox and Ryan the key defensive spots and let Pearce play 15 quality games.

I’m still dubious he can play at a level required for a whole season. I think we need to invest in another key backman.

Would anyone be opposed to a 2-3 year contract for Jeremy McGovern? Could we get his injury issues sorted. Surely between Pearce, Cox and McGovern we’d have 2 fit and firing at a time….

Put me down as a vote against McGovern. WTF is wrong with our supporters!!!

 

[Superkoops]

The interview by JL was very revealing this evening. Pearce hasn’t done anything wrong by playing through the pain barrier - my issue is with the match committee that keeps forcing him to front up.
Let the guy go away and get right for next year. Give him a fair crack for gods sake!
Why on earth are they forcing him to play if he can’t train?

Longer term, we really can not knowingly go into next season with such an injury prone player as captain. It’s not fair on him not the rest of the team.
Pearce should focus on getting his body right and that’s all. Find his best form and he’s a B22 lock. Albeit I would like a game plan built around him not disposing of the ball by foot where possible as I don’t think he was ever a great kick even fully fit.

It’s been obvious for months that Pearce has been struggling with injuries. Straight onto a Moonboot after games and no training. I Mentioned this a number of times even before the bye. It does appear to be getting to critical mass point. He is falling over a lot the past few weeks. I’m unsure whether he is getting a jab into his feet / ankles and that is contributing to him regularly losing his feet.

He is still out there battling away but needs a spell to get over his injuries. The criticism of him has been way over the top.

What I can’t forgive though is when he passes up or just ignores the running backman going past for the handball. He then proceeds to take up more time and eventually kicks it sideways. He must take the opportunity to handball off and get the game moving along.

 

[Superkoops]

Put me down as a vote against McGovern. WTF is wrong with our supporters!!!

I agree re: McGovern. Wasn’t that the role Logue was performing anyway. Why would McGovern want to leave Carlton to come in as third string KPD.

I don’t think that Hugh Davies is that far away. A pre-season will do him a world of good. Also Chapman is 193cm and has put on decent muscle mass since been off.

I’m 50/50 on Hamling. I reckon he hasn’t been terrible but also concerned that he has zero attacking component to his game.

 

[Dockeroo]

I agree re: McGovern. Wasn’t that the role Logue was performing anyway. Why would McGovern want to leave Carlton to come in as third string KPD.

I don’t think that Hugh Davies is that far away. A pre-season will do him a world of good. Also Chapman is 193cm and has put on decent muscle mass since been off.

I’m 50/50 on Hamling. I reckon he hasn’t been terrible but also concerned that he has zero attacking component to his game.

If it comes to a choice between keeping Sturt or hamling, and the chose to keep hamling and delist Sturt, I’d be furious.

 

[BStaff17]

The club shouldn't have forced it on him and Pearce shouldn't have given the most reluctant "Sure" ever when accepting it.

Should have stayed Fyfe, who pllayed more games than last season anyways.

This way Pearce either continues from 2022 with less responsibility and pressure he obviously can't handle, whilst even giving Brayshaw & Serong a few runs trialing the role in this throwaway season.

What the same fyfe who has played less then 10 games again this year.