Australia’s game
We all know what it pays to be an AFL footballer – the generous salaries, arms weighed down by WAGs, chests stuffed with pride and egos pumped with the adoration of fans. But at what price?
Ask Alex Pearce, 24 – a Fremantle Dockers defender at the pointy end of the next generation of AFL players who will fly high and shine like stars throughout the 2020 season – and what comes to mind is just one word: “pain”.
“It hurts, it’s brutal. By the end of most games I can barely walk and you’re just in pain from the massive hits and the speed of the game, running 14-15km. It all adds up, and I absolutely need a couple of days to recover, physically,” he explains, his voice getting faster as he totes the toll.
“By the fourth quarter, you’ve got this terrible headache, your head’s thumping, you can barely think, because it’s not just physical, it’s mental, constantly. ‘Where’s the ball, where’s my opponent, where are my teammates, are we getting beaten because I’m in the wrong spot?’”
But what about the joy, the winning, the sweet rush of success, surely that’s what it’s all about?
“Hmm… No, I’d have to say during the game it’s mostly pain, but there is joy when the siren goes. As long as you’ve won!” Pearce says.
“But knowing how hard it’s going to be, how much it’s going to hurt, how tough it’s going to be in the fourth quarter, that’s a vital part
