Melbourne star Daisy Pearce has added weight to her frame in bid to stay ahead of the game
DAISY Pearce is already a force in AFLW and the Melbourne star is now even more formidable after spending her off-season “in the gym and eating” in a bid to transform herself into a midfield beast. And it’s worked.
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DAISY Pearce spent her summer “in the gym and eating” in a bid to transform herself into a midfield beast for AFLW02.
And it’s worked, with the star Demon adding 4kg to her 170cm frame.
The 29-year-old said she had realised that as the game progresses, she would need to improve her strength at the contest.
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“I did a fair bit of strength work in the gym and really focused on trying to get a bit stronger and more powerful,” Pearce told the Herald Sun.
“With where the game’s heading, you can’t track around in third gear. I’ve really had to work on that high-intensity running part of my game and just a bit more strength because the whole competition is getting bigger, faster and stronger.
“To be able to impact in the midfield and hold yourself over the ball, I needed a bit more weight behind me.
“That’s been a big focus — gym and eating. I’ve put on a couple of kilos which is nice, for now — hopefully they stay there.”
When her boyfriend Angus recently commented on the increased size of her legs, she was rapt.
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“I reckon I’d be in the minority of women who were happy to hear a comment like that,” she laughed.
Pearce — who will again captain Melbourne — is one of five Demons that have been rated as elite by Champion Data, joined by Karen Paxman, Mel Hickey, Lauren Pearce and Meg Downie.
She enjoyed a break after the inaugural AFL Women’s competition last year both to manage niggling injuries and in an effort to gain a headstart on her strength program, also engaging a private coach.
Demons coach Mick Stinear is expecting his skipper to reap the benefits of her hard work.
“They had a VFL season, into AFLW, then straight back into the VFL season and now they’re coming in (for AFLW02),” Stinear said.
“It was nearly four seasons back-to-back.
“She did really well just to take some time off. Her time off is a little bit different to most people — she used it to get in the gym, pilates, and stopped running for a couple of weeks but was doing boxing and all the rest of it.
“She got herself stronger, took her body to another level and then was able to have a great impact in the back-end of the VFL season and the State of Origin game was a real standout for her. She’s been able to carry that on.”
Originally published as Melbourne star Daisy Pearce has added weight to her frame in bid to stay ahead of the game
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