New Fremantle captain Alex Pearce believes leaders are a product of those who came before them

Pearce, the club’s 10th skipper, has heard it bandied around in the weeks since Nat Fyfe stepped down after six years at the helm. The expression intensified when young midfielders Andrew Brayshaw and Caleb Serong emerged as captaincy contenders.

But Pearce, the incumbent captain after receiving an overwhelming endorsement from his teammates, believes the club’s new-look leadership group is perfectly poised to continue the club’s ascension into premiership contention.

“I’ve heard the term ‘changing of the guard’ a little bit and I don’t really like it,” Pearce says.

“Everyone in the leadership group is a product of who has come before. I’m a product of Nathan (Fyfe) and everyone in the leadership group has learnt a lot from him. We’ll continue that journey.

“We’ll be able to take things in our own way a little bit but we certainly won’t be complexly changing the direction we’re moving in. We’ve been in a great spot and building for the past few years.

“I expect greatness as well, from myself and my teammates.”

Fremantle’s elected leaders do represent diversity, whether it be in age, experience, personality and on-field positions. Defender Hayden Young, forward Sam Switkowski and new recruit Jaeger O’Meara round out the group of six.

But Pearce’s standing as an Indigenous leader adds an extra layer of gravitas to a club that only yesterday announced they would rebrand as Walyalup, the Aboriginal name for Fremantle, during Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous Round.

The 27-year-old is the eighth Indigenous skipper in the history of the AFL, joining North Melbourne’s Jy Simpkin in 2023.

“I’m a pretty pale Indigenous man,” Pearce joked.

“I felt a bit uncomfortable in my first few years at the club, not having a strong connection to my culture. Being from Tasmania, there wasn’t as much knowledge and connection for me. But being welcomed in by Sonny (Walters) and Michael Johnson and seeing what it means to my teammates, it’s helped me learn about my history and where I come from.

“The Tassie Indigenous history isn’t a pretty one. Most people were wiped out. It’s great that the culture can live on.”

Pearce is the third Fremantle captain to come from Tasmania. Now he faces the challenge of becoming the club’s first premiership skipper with the clock ticking on the club’s 2025 strategic plan.

“I’ve been dreaming for years, probably decades. For the past 10 years, I don’t think I’ve had hold of the cup (in my dream) but I’ve been sitting there with my teammates with medals around our necks,” he said.

“To get there, it’s not going to be me, it’s not going to be our leadership group, it’s going to be all of us.”

When it comes to leadership, Pearce believes he’s authentic, hardworking and driven to be the best he can be.

“When I look back, I want to be a leader that has helped our playing group improve and become the best version of themselves they can be and in turn make our club and playing group the best it can be,” he said.

“I always considered myself a leader. I enjoyed the responsibility. But I didn’t come in and say, ‘I want to be captain of this club in 10 years’ and last year I didn’t say, ‘I want to be captain next year’ or even two months ago.

“Over the last few years, I’ve realised it might be my turn … maybe the best thing for the club is for me to help take us forward. But I was under no illusions that the playing group decide who was best.

“Whatever the role is, the goal is to be successful.”