There has been much discussion in the media about the AFL’s scheduling of day games in Perth in the early rounds of the season.
The game between Freo and the Bombers was played in temperatures that reached 33 degrees on a day without much wind to cool things down.
Pearce said he welcomed the challenge of playing in such conditions.
WATCH: Danyle Pearce in action
“The last week’s been pretty cool (in Perth) so to have the 30 degrees, I loved it,” he said.
“I love playing in the heat.”
The former Port Adelaide player said Freo, which scored seven goals to one in the third term, had to call on all of their professionalism after the taxing first half.
“It took its toll, you could feel at half-time the boys were a bit drained, so we had to stay on top of our hydration,” Pearce said.
“We’ve got great fitness staff who keep right on top of that.”
Match Report: Fremantle v Essendon
Pearce did not believe Essendon were hampered by the heat any more than Freo were.
“It’s hard to say that they struggled,” he said.
“They’re a fantastic side, and they showed a couple of weeks ago when they played Hawthorn, they’re going to be right up there.
“We knew coming in, if we gave anything less than 100 per cent, we could have another result like last week (against Hawthorn).”
Do you have a question for Danyle Pearce? Jump on to our LIVE CHAT from 3pm WST today (Tuesday).
