Alex Pearce is one of the Australian Football League’s top defenders.
A role which requires discipline, focus and physical toughness as they try to stop their opponents from scoring.
On top of that he is also the captain of the Fremantle Dockers’, a club which hails from a city that has a rich and passionate history with Football but are yet to win an AFL Premiership.
Speaking on Channel 7’s program Unfiltered, the 29-year-old spoke openly about his constant battle with pre-game anxiety, depression that stemmed from persistent injury setbacks and handling the pressure to perform. “It’s pretty deep anxiety around my own performance and having high expectations,” he said.
“Am I going to play a good game, am I going to be able to play in a way that helps the team win? How are we going to perform as a team? Did we focus too much on one thing during the week, did we not focus on this? Did I not lead well?
“I think it’s really important for all elite athletes to have this sense of confidence, and assurity, I think you can only get to that top level if you’re confident in your own abilities, and I am deeply confident in my own abilities, but I always question myself just to make sure.
“I think it’s something that has served me well in my sporting career, but it has also crippled me at times. “I’ve worked with my psychologist about this around not having these super high standards.”
While Pearce still grapples with intense feelings of pre-game anxiety, he knew he needed to seek help when he started to think about avoiding games – something that was at great odds with his intense desire to compete and win.
Part of his ongoing work with his sports psychologist has been around acknowledging and accepting these thoughts and feelings.
“It’s there because I really care. If I didn’t care about the game and if we won or lost, or if I performed then I’d have nothing to worry about,” he said.
“I wouldn’t be worried about hurting myself because I wouldn’t try that hard. If we lost then oh well, but because I care so deeply that’s where it comes from.
“If I can understand that link, then it’s like well that’s the price of entry to walk out onto that field and achieve these great things that I want to achieve.
“You can’t control your feelings all the time. The only way to do that is to change how much it means to me and that’s not happening.”
Part of Pearce’s anxiety has also stemmed from the fear of the physical pain that the game can bring.
His battle with injury is well documented.
Early in his career the 201cm defender broke his leg twice, suffered a broken ankle, injured his knee and most recently missed half of last season after fracturing his arm.
The injuries at the start of his career and saw him question if he wanted to continue playing.
“I struggled with some depression,” he said.
“I think through that period I started to learn a more about myself and that I’m interested in other things.”
Exploring his identity and stepping back from the sport when he is not training or playing has been a pressure release for Pearce.
During the interview Pearce spoke about being a young player and watching as many games and talk shows reviewing the games as possible.
Shutting out that noise and focusing on his interests off the field has helped to narrow his focus on it.
“It wasn’t bringing me any joy or happiness and I was like I just don’t need it,” he said.
“If you know too much, you’re not really focusing on what’s really important.
“What’s really important might just be the way the team plays, a few big-ticket items and then what I really need to do for my role.”
Pearce’s insightful and vulnerable conversation has again highlighted the need for athletes to focus on their mental game.
Engaging with a sport psychologist and learning mental skills to cope with the rigors of sport is crucial for success and enjoyment in sport and in life.
