Fremantle Dockers big man Alex Pearce had a strong message following Freo’s loss to the Eagles on Saturday.
 
Freo surged at the start of the final quarter to get within five points of West Coast, but Pearce said it counted for little as the Eagles kicked away to finish the game.

Match Report: Eagles claim hard-fought Derby win

“You don’t get four points for getting close,” Pearce said.
 
“It was nice to keep fighting on but we’re not happy with how it went.”
 
Pearce said it wasn’t the effort but the execution that prevented Freo from capitalising on their momentum.
 
“We didn’t lost through lack of effort or lack of trying,” he said.
 
“We fought hard all game and that showed in the last quarter when we got back into it.
 
“But there were some skill errors that let us down, and with the ball we weren’t as good as we want to be.”
 
Pearce’s effort against the Eagles couldn’t be understated, as he worked overtime in the ruck, following an injury to Aaron Sandilands.

Sandilands suffers punctured lung
 
Sandilands suffered a punctured lung in the second quarter, and Pearce said he quickly realised the importance of his role in the rest of the game.
 
“I saw him go down and knew that I’d have to do a bit more,” he said.
 
“It was pretty tough, but you have to keep fighting and try to do the best you can.”
 
Pearce was one of a number of irregular players in the ruck, with him sharing time with the likes of Matt de Boer, Michael Barlow and Michael Johnson.
 
But the versatile tall said all who took up the challenge competed very well against a formidable Eagles duo of Nic Naitanui and Scott Lycett.
 
“I thought they were all really good,” he said.
 
“They were up against it, but they competed, brought the ball to ground, and made it harder for them.”