Fremantle track watch: Alex Pearce exits match simulation early with ankle concern, Serong and Brayshaw set standard

Fremantle captain Alex Pearce was forced off the park on Saturday, with the Indigenous All Stars match just two weeks away. ELIZA REILLY has details and more in track watch.

Alex Pearce is under another injury cloud. Picture: Getty Images

Fremantle captain Alex Pearce made an early exit from match simulation on Saturday morning with what appeared to be an ankle injury.

The key defender was assessed during the second quarter after tweaking his left ankle in a tackle.

Pearce then re-emerged from the sidelines with strapping, but after attempting to prove his fitness through a series of run-throughs he was ruled out for the remainder of the session.

The 29-year-old watched the rest of training with his foot in an ice bucket.

Pearce has been named in the Indigenous All Stars squad to play Fremantle in a fortnight. His absence ended an intriguing battle between him and Josh Treacy in attack.

Treacy appeared to be in the better position for most contests only for Pearce to bring the ball to ground. The key forward was able to find the ball more frequently on the lead when Pearce came from the ground.

Alex Pearce an early exit with a left ankle injury, now with his foot in an ice bucket. He tried to get back on after they strapped it up so appears to be erring on side of caution with All Stars game a fortnight away. pic.twitter.com/pM2gT4pKRV

— Eliza Reilly (@ByElizaReilly) February 1, 2025

It wasn’t a productive day for key forwards with play frenetic and a touch fumbly in the first two quarters.

Sam Switkowski kicked the opening goal of the game after winning a holding the ball free kick inside 50. Jaeger O’Meara spent some time on his haunches after copping a punch to the guts from Matthew Johnson.

Corey Wagner spent some time at centre bounces in the absence of Hayden Young who completed conditioning on the sidelines. Sean Darcy started the session with the main group after returning from Doha but didn’t take part in match simulation. He ended his day in a compression boot.

Luke Jackson, Brandon Walker, Quinton Narkle, Sam Sturt and Michael Walters also spent the session in the rehab group. Shai Bolton (calf) did conditioning on the sidelines and Nat Fyfe emerged midway through the session to practice his kicking as he recovers from minor knee surgery. Starting with a tennis ball, Fyfe progressed to a junior football to hone in on his technique.

Nat Fyfe continued his rehab. Picture: Getty Images

Jeremy Sharp and Jordan Clark both kicked impressive goals on the run.

Nathan O’Driscoll also showed a clean pair of heels with several powerful runs through the corridor. Neil Erasmus found plenty of the football but his disposals weren’t as impactful as others. Will Brodie was also prolific and stood tall in tackles but made some poor choices by foot.

Jye Amiss hurt himself trying to run through a contest, copping a knee to the midriff. Cooper Simpson also made an early exit from match simulation but was spotted boxing on the sidelines. Brennan Cox was assessed briefly during the second quarter but returned to the field.

The competitive tension was high throughout as Fremantle geared up for its intra-club on Friday. Coaches adjusted the scoreboard to reflect different match scenarios, Pat Voss celebrating vigorously after kicking a go-ahead goal just before half-time.

One of the coaches also was heard yelling out “Didn’t you learn anything from the North game” after a player deliberately forced the ball to the boundary line late in one quarter, referencing the Dockers’ one-point loss to the Kangaroos in 2023 after being denied a shot after the siren.

Originally published as Fremantle track watch: Alex Pearce exits match simulation early with ankle concern, Serong and Brayshaw set standard