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

 

[sumavich]

Not a fan! The bloke is a seriously bad kick under pressure. I would’ve gone Serong!

 

[Dockeroo]

I guess we shall see what happens. It’s hard to be a great captain in the AFL when you are not in the top bracket of players at the club however. He’s in that middle bracket of players from 8-15 on the team who are not role players, but not A grade talent either.
The best captains lead by example by being in the top handful of players in the park on a regular basis. The game he played in Geelong this year was superb. If he could do that 5 or 6 times a season and be a solid stopper for the rest it would be huge but that hasn’t been the case so far since he returned from all those injuries.
Anyway he’s the man for another year at least so the onus is on him to deliver now for 2024.

 

[King Huskii]

Honestly would have gone Brayshaw or Serong but he might help take the pressure off the other two, to perform at their maximum.

I'm a wait and see from my unprofessional opinion

 

[Kenyan]

If the slow starts epidemic continues and Pearce continues his shaky starts action needs to be taken against decision makers.

Hoping we move past those this season and establish Optus as a fortress.

If the mids continue to get smashed at the stoppages, the slow starts will continue. Serong is excellent inside but will need support from the likes of Brodie and Young. Brayshaw's stoppage/clearance numbers are awful for a key mid.

 

[Superkoops]

If the mids continue to get smashed at the stoppages, the slow starts will continue. Serong is excellent inside but will need support from the likes of Brodie and Young. Brayshaw's stoppage/clearance numbers are awful for a key mid.

100%

Pearce and whatever is said by him and coaching staff isn’t the deal breaker for getting the ball out of the middle. We have the Vice Captains in there - they need to take ownership.

What I would say about Pearce, and I know you are closely connected is that he certainly started in the role last year a bit shaky. I know he basically did the job in 2022 with Fyfe injured but it is very different being appointed captain. His own form seem to suffer in the early part of the year. He warmed into the role and his game against Geelong in particular was inspirational and a real turning point (although there were signs leading up to that game).

As for the rest of the leadership - I’d be playing JOM more forward/ half forward in 2024 with rotation in the middle then he along with Walters and Switta can provide that forward leadership.

 

[rgauci]

Don’t mind continuing with Pearce. Some stability is nice. When fit he’s still one of the best key defenders in the AFL. We are very dependent on his form.

Young, Brayshaw and Serong in the leadership group is top notch. 50/50 on Switkowski and not supportive of JOM. The latter been at the club for 2 minutes. He’s failed to “lead” any group to any form of success.

 

[Megalon]

Brayshaw's stoppage/clearance numbers are awful for a key mid.

He doesn't win as many clearances as Serong but tackles more, seems his role is defensive mid. Would love for the club to give him freedom to play more attacking and outside which we know he can do.

 

[Megalon]

...not supportive of JOM. The latter been at the club for 2 minutes. He’s failed to “lead” any group to any form of success.

Agreed, not sure how that even happened - surely players didn't vote for him before he'd even played a game in purple, unless it was based on reputation? I do think JOM will have a better season in 2024 though

 

[Kenyan]

100%

Pearce and whatever is said by him and coaching staff isn’t the deal breaker for getting the ball out of the middle. We have the Vice Captains in there - they need to take ownership.

What I would say about Pearce, and I know you are closely connected is that he certainly started in the role last year a bit shaky. I know he basically did the job in 2022 with Fyfe injured but it is very different being appointed captain. His own form seem to suffer in the early part of the year. He warmed into the role and his game against Geelong in particular was inspirational and a real turning point (although there were signs leading up to that game).

As for the rest of the leadership - I’d be playing JOM more forward/ half forward in 2024 with rotation in the middle then he along with Walters and Switta can provide that forward leadership.

I think Alex would be the first to admit that he learnt a lot from his captaincy last year. He played the majority of the season with an injury where he was unable to run/train.

 

[DocT]

A minority opinion...
I don't think Pearce as captain is good but now that he and the club have backed himself in then I am behind the decision. However, in backing themselves in they have cranked up the pressure on themselves to deliver rapidly in 2024. Why?
1. They are on the record as saying that they played a lot better in the last few games of 2023. So this form needs to continue from the start of 2024.
2. They must be confident they have fixed the game-losing slow starts. They must demonstrate this.
3. Pearce must regain his top individual form. Barring freak accident, injury is at best a weak excuse - everyone knows his injury vulnerabilities and have decided his mind/body can handle the captaincy pressures too.
4. They must be confident that they have fixed the team's slow ball movement.

My only criticism of Pearce is that he in combo with JL apparently lack fire/fizz/freedom and I think this translates to our on-field style and intensity. If I'm wrong then I'll be happy. If they've fixed all that then I'll be happy. If we're 1/3-1/2 way thru the season and we are looking similar to 2023 then I'll be very unhappy.

 

[King Huskii]

A minority opinion...
I don't think Pearce as captain is good but now that he and the club have backed himself in then I am behind the decision. However, in backing themselves in they have cranked up the pressure on themselves to deliver rapidly in 2024. Why?
1. They are on the record as saying that they played a lot better in the last few games of 2023. So this form needs to continue from the start of 2024.
2. They must be confident they have fixed the game-losing slow starts. They must demonstrate this.
3. Pearce must regain his top individual form. Barring freak accident, injury is at best a weak excuse - everyone knows his injury vulnerabilities and have decided his mind/body can handle the captaincy pressures too.
4. They must be confident that they have fixed the team's slow ball movement.

My only criticism of Pearce is that he in combo with JL apparently lack fire/fizz/freedom and I think this translates to our on-field style and intensity. If I'm wrong then I'll be happy. If they've fixed all that then I'll be happy. If we're 1/3-1/2 way thru the season and we are looking similar to 2023 then I'll be very unhappy.

I agree with all of this especially the slow starts. They were glaringly obvious and Freo struggled to catch up.

Pearce was a really good player a number of years ago without the pressure of captaincy. I wonder if Brayshaw or Serong are ready.

 

[mightymouse75]

Same old slop served on the platter.

 

[poshman]

If the mids continue to get smashed at the stoppages, the slow starts will continue. Serong is excellent inside but will need support from the likes of Brodie and Young. Brayshaw's stoppage/clearance numbers are awful for a key mid.

Agreed and Pearce needs to eliminate his own shaky starts. Both are true and possible. If both improve we will be in a great place next season.

 

[malpaso]

The biggest difference this year will be Hayden Young

26

Hayden Young

Age

23

Ht

189cm

Wt

88kg

Pos.

D/M

Career

Season

Last 5

D

10.0

3star

K

6.6

3star

HB

3.4

3star

M

3.2

3star

T

1.4

3star

MG

160.0

3star

D

10.0

3star

K

6.6

3star

HB

3.4

2star

M

3.2

3star

T

1.4

2star

MG

160.0

3star

D

10.0

3star

K

6.6

3star

HB

3.4

3star

M

3.2

4star

T

1.4

4star

MG

160.0

3star

"the Mid" from the get go. Jet, Jet and Jet. Did I mention Jet?

 

[Vintage]

A minority opinion...
I don't think Pearce as captain is good but now that he and the club have backed himself in then I am behind the decision. However, in backing themselves in they have cranked up the pressure on themselves to deliver rapidly in 2024. Why?
1. They are on the record as saying that they played a lot better in the last few games of 2023. So this form needs to continue from the start of 2024.
2. They must be confident they have fixed the game-losing slow starts. They must demonstrate this.
3. Pearce must regain his top individual form. Barring freak accident, injury is at best a weak excuse - everyone knows his injury vulnerabilities and have decided his mind/body can handle the captaincy pressures too.
4. They must be confident that they have fixed the team's slow ball movement.

My only criticism of Pearce is that he in combo with JL apparently lack fire/fizz/freedom and I think this translates to our on-field style and intensity. If I'm wrong then I'll be happy. If they've fixed all that then I'll be happy. If we're 1/3-1/2 way thru the season and we are looking similar to 2023 then I'll be very unhappy.

Out of interest where do you think hurn and Simpson rated on the fire/fizz/freedom scale?

 

[DocT]

Out of interest where do you think hurn and Simpson rated on the fire/fizz/freedom scale?

That is a great point.
I think both Hurn and Simpson have a harder 'we mean business' persona than Pearce/JL and I think this would be effective in the well-timed and well-aimed rev-up fiery spray.

Maybe the brutal efficiency of the 'Weagles web' - I'd take a stupid name if it got us a premiership - was a manifestation of theHurn/Simpson no-compromise persona to a significant extent. I am hoping to be proved wrong that the 2023 Freo team was a product of the Pearce-JL leadership persona.

To clarify what I mean, I don't think individual leaders need to have every single quality but the leadership-team does.

 

[Dockeroo]

I think Alex would be the first to admit that he learnt a lot from his captaincy last year. He played the majority of the season with an injury where he was unable to run/train.

I know you are in here batting for your friend and that’s admirable. I really hope he has a big season this year - as stated by several people that Geelong performance was epic and shows what he is capable of.
I will say one thing though - carrying an injury is not really any form of excuse in my book (for any player, this isn’t specific to AP). In the AFL you are either fit to play, or you are not fit to play. It’s fairly black and white when it comes to assessing player performance.
Once you cross that white line on match day as a member of the 22 you are judged as a fit player the same as everyone else.
You don’t get judged by different standards by fans or media if you can’t train during the week and as a result can’t perform at optimal peak performance.
On any given weekend in the gruelling AFL season there are literally dozens of players out there with various niggles and knocks that are not 100% fit.

 

[Vintage]

I know you are in here batting for your friend and that’s admirable. I really hope he has a big season this year - as stated by several people that Geelong performance was epic and shows what he is capable of.
I will say one thing though - carrying an injury is not really any form of excuse in my book (for any player, this isn’t specific to AP). In the AFL you are either fit to play, or you are not fit to play. It’s fairly black and white when it comes to assessing player performance.
Once you cross that white line on match day as a member of the 22 you are judged as a fit player the same as everyone else.
You don’t get judged by different standards by fans or media if you can’t train during the week and as a result can’t perform at optimal peak performance.
On any given weekend in the gruelling AFL season there are literally dozens of players out there with various niggles and knocks that are not 100% fit.

I think you’re taking a very simplistic view here. Carrying a niggle or minor injury but still playing is a reason why a number of players in every team have down seasons each year.

It’s not an excuse, it is an explanation. There is a difference.

 

[rgauci]

A minority opinion...
I don't think Pearce as captain is good but now that he and the club have backed himself in then I am behind the decision. However, in backing themselves in they have cranked up the pressure on themselves to deliver rapidly in 2024. Why?
1. They are on the record as saying that they played a lot better in the last few games of 2023. So this form needs to continue from the start of 2024.

As soon as Young moved into the midfield we gained our mojo back. He’s training mids. We should be solid out of the middle.

2. They must be confident they have fixed the game-losing slow starts. They must demonstrate this.

Not easily fixed. The older more experienced we get the easier this will come.

3. Pearce must regain his top individual form. Barring freak accident, injury is at best a weak excuse - everyone knows his injury vulnerabilities and have decided his mind/body can handle the captaincy pressures too.

Fingers crossed for an injury free year.

4. They must be confident that they have fixed the team's slow ball movement.

Once we have confidence winning contested ball forward of the contest our ball movement will hasten.

My only criticism of Pearce is that he in combo with JL apparently lack fire/fizz/freedom and I think this translates to our on-field style and intensity. If I'm wrong then I'll be happy. If they've fixed all that then I'll be happy. If we're 1/3-1/2 way thru the season and we are looking similar to 2023 then I'll be very unhappy.

JLo / Pearce is fine. 2022 they worked very well together, albeit Fyfe still had the captaincy. He barely played.

 

[SiempreFreo]

Has AP had a haircut or is he sporting some kind of massive man bun behind his noggin? Can't tell. He really needs to lessen the load IMO. It seemed to be a hindrance on the field at times. So unweildy.

Had a haircut. At the Members Meeting he sported a smallish ponytail, no bun.

 

[Fat Nyfe]

Firstly, Brayshaw or Serong do not need ‘the pressure off them’. Have people who say that ever watched those two play, or know anything about them? Particularly Serong?

I’m not a fan of this decision but regardless, Pearce is the captain again so we should all get around him.

2024 is not a developing year though. This is a performance year, and Pearce needs to perform a hell of a lot better than he did last year to lead us from the front.

We all know he can, and that Geelong game should not be a flash away in the pan for him, at his best he’s an excellent stopper who provides leadership, one percenters and rebound from the backline. He’s had 2 years without injury interruptions now. He should be putting his name back into AA discussions like he did early in his injury-prone years.

Our year for learnings was 2023, 2024 is the year for action. Interesting that the club has backed stability and made very few changes to the coaches or leadership group - and overall playing list too. Given the poorness of last season there is a big onus on internal development and for everyone in the club to get better, in order to push us up the ladder. Pearce is at the forefront of that. Hopefully we can be celebrating the decision to stick fat at the end of next year.

 

[DocT]

As soon as Young moved into the midfield we gained our mojo back. He’s training mids. We should be solid out of the middle.

I hope you're right but there are other possible explanations for our improvement. As good as Young is he was playing as a brand new mid and it is very unlikely his presence alone transformed our midfield mojo.

Not easily fixed. The older more experienced we get the easier this will come.

I don't really follow your logic, why does inexperience disproportionately impact your starts? If anything I would argue the other way - young teams tend to go too hard early and look good. Then they run out of puff in the second half and fade.

Fingers crossed for an injury free year.

I don't think crossing fingers is a reasonable response. You need to plan for the worst and hope for the best. Appointing someone with a history of injury woes after a year of lack-lustre playing and captaincy is in my view too big a big gamble to trust to a couple of fingers, even if they are crossed.

Once we have confidence winning contested ball forward of the contest our ball movement will hasten.

I hope so too.

JLo / Pearce is fine. 2022 they worked very well together, albeit Fyfe still had the captaincy. He barely played.

I think this observation needs more detail to carry any weight. 2022 was a great year, but how do we know how much it had to do with JL/Pearce working well together? On the other hand, my concern about their leadership duo is the combined persona that I consistently observe, a persona I correlate with our 2023 on-field performance.

Thanks for your thoughtful responses - footy is all about the story and FFC have lots of intriguing stories to play out in 2024.

 

[Mogumber]

Hurn was a very good captain. Look what happened after they put Shuey in charge.
I'll always remember Hurn at a PC after a Derby when some bell end of a Toast supporter was burning a Michael Walters

10

Michael Walters

Age

33

Ht

176cm

Wt

77kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

17.2

4star

K

11.0

4star

HB

6.2

4star

M

3.9

4star

T

2.9

4star

G

1.7

5star

D

20.9

5star

K

11.8

5star

HB

9.1

5star

M

3.6

4star

T

3.3

4star

G

1.0

4star

D

13.0

4star

K

9.4

4star

HB

3.6

3star

M

4.4

4star

T

1.8

4star

G

0.8

4star

fluff doll at the game, and Hurn was unequivocal in his denouncement of that

 

[BigRang]

FYI Serong has been anointed by AP in the Herald Sun Captain's interviews.

 

[Tonga Bob]

Alex Pearce

25

Alex Pearce

Age

28

Ht

201cm

Wt

98kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

10.6

3star

K

5.2

2star

HB

5.4

4star

M

3.4

3star

T

1.8

4star

MG

106.3

2star

No current season stats available

D

11.0

3star

K

5.0

2star

HB

6.0

4star

M

4.4

4star

T

0.8

3star

MG

103.2

2star

is still without a buddy this season. Who wants him?

All I'll say is that Great Players wear the number 25.