Alex Pearce impressed yet again in a matchup with a star opposition forward, playing a crucial role in Fremantle’s 28-point win against Gold Coast at Optus Stadium on Saturday in the annual Starlight Purple Haze game.
After Pearce kept Bombers forward Joe Daniher goalless for the first time in 40 games in round two, he faced the high-flying Tom Lynch, who was fresh from an eight-goal performance against Carlton.
With seven spoils, the most for Fremantle on the day, Pearce helped restrict the star Sun to one goal and two marks inside 50.
While Pearce played the role on Lynch, he credited his fellow defenders for their efforts on the day, restricting Gold Coast to 11 marks inside 50.
“It’s nice to get the job done but I had a lot of help,” Pearce said.
“Joel Hamling, even in the last quarter, he had a real good chase down tackle on (Lynch).
“As a backline it’s not always individual matchups, it’s all about working as a unit and helping each other out.
"I thought we did that really well today.”
Pearce was delighted to see Freo get the win after Gold Coast took the lead in the third term despite Freo’s dominance.
Scores were tied at half time despite Fremantle having five more scoring shots in their total of 5.10 (40) at the main break.
“It’s always nice if your forwards can convert but I like that we really dug in (in the second half),” Pearce said
“It was really hard in that third quarter and they got on a bit of a roll towards the middle there.
“It’s always nice to be able to bounce back and build a bit of momentum with a win like that.”
Pearce credited fellow 22-year-old Ed Langdon for stepping up on the wing in the absence of running midfielder Bradley Hill.
Langdon delivered a game-high nine inside 50s while laying five tackles and collecting 27 disposals.
“Ed’s been great all pre-season and the last few games,” Pearce said.
“He’s become a real tough player and he’s just a running machine.
"He found a lot of it today, used it pretty well. It’s just great to see him playing some really great footy.”
