AFL is a mental game as much as it is physical, Daniel Pearce is discovering, as he navigates his way through patches of confidence and form in his second season at the Western Bulldogs.
A full pre-season over summer had the 20-year-old encouraged about the season ahead and after some solid early performances in the VFL — Pearce suffered a leg injury that kept him on the sidelines for a couple of weeks.
“I had a little hiccup in the middle of the year with my leg… so I was out for only two weeks,” Pearce said.
“Now I am just trying to find that form again and push for selection in the AFL.”
Shifting to a more versatile role across the wing, Pearce has been posed with the challenge adapt to multiple roles, honing his defensive attributes and building his endurance and running capacity.
Rotating between defence and the midfield - even resting on the half forward flank at times – the 20-year-old has relished the more varied role.
“The last couple of weeks, definitely, I’ve shown some better improvements in my game that some of the coaches have been asking for and I keep trying to improve,” he said.
“That’s the thing I still need to keep in my head, having that defensive mindset, so even if I am pushing up onto the wing, I am still having accountability for my player.