Fremantle captain Alex Pearce has avoided the worst-case scenario, with scans confirming a partial tear of his right Achilles tendon and a significant calf strain from the AFL grand final, and he will not need surgery.
The Dockers confirmed the scan results on Tuesday, three days after Pearce went down while giving chase in the third quarter of Fremantle’s seven-point grand final loss to Brisbane, covered in TSB’s grand final report.
“Thankfully Alex has not had a complete rupture of his Achilles tendon and he will not require surgery,” Fremantle executive general manager of football Joe Brierty said in a club statement.
“Scans have revealed a partial tear of his Achilles tendon and also a significant calf strain.
“Our performance health team will continue to consult specialist advice and assess the timeline for his rehabilitation program. As it stands, we expect Alex to return to training in pre-season.”
Why the news matters for Fremantle
ABC News reported there had been fears for the 31-year-old’s future had scans shown a complete tear. The West Australian reported a full tear would have ruled Pearce out of the entire 2027 season.
The West Australian said Pearce’s right leg buckled underneath him while he chased a loose ball on the wing. He lay face-down on the turf before being helped off, was later on crutches and wore a moonboot when the team arrived back in Perth on Sunday.
The turning point of the grand final
Pearce had kept Brisbane forward Logan Morris to three disposals before the injury, according to The West Australian. Morris went on to kick three final-quarter goals as the Lions came from 17 points down in the final four minutes to win a third straight flag.
“It was obviously shattering for him that he got injured I didn’t really know what happened to him, but at three-quarter time we knew that he was out,” Morris told The West Australian.
“It changed a bit in terms of their match-ups. We kind of isolated one key forward at times, and were able to expose them late in the last quarter.”
The finish has kept debate running all week, including the scrutiny over Zac Bailey’s goal and his fend on Caleb Serong.
No fan day for the Dockers
ABC also reported Fremantle will not hold any public events to thank fans after the season. Brierty defended the decision on 102.5 ABC Perth.
“From our perspective we’ll still celebrate the year and I’m sure all our members and fans will,” Brierty said.
“But right here and now our focus is on making sure that we exit the right way and prepare ourselves to have a really strong pre-season, and that starts with making sure we’ve set the players up for the off-season.”
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