Fremantle captain Pearce ruled out of grand final with achilles injury
Fremantle captain Alex Pearce suffered an achilles injury in the third quarter and was ruled out of the match.
Fremantle captain Alex Pearce just went down untouched while sprinting for the ball early in the third term. Alex Pearce lay prone on the turf for several moments as play continued around him, then was assisted from the field.
Ice was applied to his achilles on the bench. Pearce was unable to put weight on his right leg.
The Dockers confirmed Pearce had been ruled out with an achilles injury. Losing their captain and key defender mid-grand final forced Fremantle to shift Luke Ryan onto Brisbane's Logan Morris, leaving Heath Chapman already playing undersized at the back.
It was a devastating blow at the worst possible moment.
- Alex Pearce, Fremantle captain
- Player
- achilles
- Injury
- third
- Quarter injured
- Brisbane Lions, grand final
- Opponent
Why it mattersA captain's injury in a grand final removes a leader from the field when the team needs him most and forces emergency defensive changes.
AustraliaFremantle lost its captain and best hope of winning a fourth AFL premiership just when the team had a chance to claim the flag.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 30 min ago
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