Fremantle veteran Luke McPharlin has praised young defender Alex Pearce ahead of just his third game in the AFL.
 
Pearce impressed in his first two games for Fremantle earlier this year when he played in place of an injured McPharlin.

Pearce primed to play 
 
The young Tasmanian gets another chance against the Gold Coast Saturday night, coming into the side to replace injured All Australian defender Michael Johnson.
 
McPharlin said Johnson’s absence presents an opportunity for Pearce.
 
“He has a very composed mind for such a young man,” he said.
 
“We are thrilled with what he has delivered so far.”
 
McPharlin said the team wanted to bounce back strongly after a 27-point loss to Richmond last week.
 
“There was a lot of areas we really let ourselves down,” he said.
 
“I’m really excited to get over there and hopefully get the job done.”
 
Fremantle play Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium on Saturday 13 June. Bounce down is at 1.40pm local time.