101 Facts About Daisy Pearce

Daisy Pearce was born on 27 May 1988 and is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Melbourne Football Club in the AFL Women's and is the current AFLW senior coach of the West Coast Eagles.

Daisy Pearce captained Victoria in the inaugural AFL Women's State of Origin match in 2017, where she was adjudged best afield.

Daisy Pearce began her state league career in 2005 with the Darebin Falcons in the Victorian Women's Football League, captaining the club from 2008 to 2016 and playing around 200 games until her final match in 2017.

Daisy Pearce is a ten-time premiership player, seven-time league best and fairest winner in the VWFL and VFL Women's competitions and five-time Darebin best and fairest winner.

Daisy Pearce represented Victoria at both under-19 and senior level, and was recruited by Melbourne with the first selection in the inaugural national women's draft in 2013 for the first women's exhibition game.

Daisy Pearce was a marquee signing for Melbourne's AFL Women's team leading into the competition's first season in 2017.

At AFLW level, Daisy Pearce is a three-time AFL Women's All-Australian and captained Melbourne to its first AFL Women's premiership in season 7.

Daisy Pearce is a four-time AFLPA AFLW best captain and three-time Melbourne best and fairest winner, with the latter named in her honour in 2023.

The VFL Women's best and fairest award, of which Daisy Pearce was the inaugural recipient in 2016, was named partly in her honour in 2018.

Daisy Pearce was as a development coach with the Geelong Football Club's Australian Football League team in 2023, and has served as West Coast's AFLW senior coach since 2024.

Outside her playing and coaching career, Daisy Pearce became an established media personality in both television and radio.

Daisy Pearce is an expert commentator for the Seven Network and 1116 SEN's AFL coverage; she appeared on the Seven Network program AFL Game Day as a rotating panel member from 2016 until the show's cancellation in 2020 and hosted her own podcast on SEN, This Is Grit, in 2019.

Daisy Pearce was born on 27 May 1988 in Bright, Victoria, to parents Daryl and Dee.

Daisy Pearce has two brothers, Will and Harry; two younger half-siblings, Ruby and Ali, through her mother; and an older half-brother, Aaron, through her father.

Daisy Pearce's parents separated in 1995 and her mother and brothers relocated to the Melbourne suburb of Eltham while Daisy remained with her father in Wandiligong, near Bright in the Alpine Shire area, where she attended Bright P-12 College.

When Daisy Pearce was a teenager, she returned to live with her mother and the rest of the family, and attended Eltham High School.

Daisy Pearce was enrolled in the Vickick program, which later became Auskick, and played junior football alongside boys as a child.

Daisy Pearce's father was a coach at the Bright Football Club, which allowed Pearce to begin training with the under-13 boys team from the age of eight; she played alongside her brother Harry and future Collingwood premiership defender Ben Reid.

Daisy Pearce needed dispensation from the local league to continue playing alongside boys as a teenager, but was disallowed, which played a part in her decision to move to Eltham.

Daisy Pearce began playing with Darebin in the premier division of the Victorian Women's Football League in 2005 at the age of 16, winning the Lisa Hardeman Medal in her first season and going on to play roughly 200 games with the women-only football club.

In 2007, Darebin went through the VWFL season undefeated, defeating Melbourne University in the grand final, and Daisy Pearce was named among the best players in the grand final.

Darebin would go on to win five VWFL premierships in a row, before losing to St Albans in the grand final in 2011; Daisy Pearce, who had by then become captain, was named Darebin's best player in the loss.

In 2013 and 2014, Darebin went through both seasons undefeated, defeating Diamond Creek by 49 points in the 2013 grand final and 30 points in the 2014 grand final; Daisy Pearce was best afield in the latter.

Daisy Pearce featured in Darebin's third consecutive grand final win over Diamond Creek in 2015.

Daisy Pearce was a member of the Australian team that played against Ireland in the 2006 Ladies' International Rules Series which, as of 2016, remains the only women's series to have taken place.

Whitten Legends Game; Daisy Pearce was named in the Victorian team while McFerran was named for the All Stars, marking the first time female players were included in the annual charity match.

Daisy Pearce captained the Victoria under-19 team at the 2007 AFL Women's National Championships; she was named in the championships' All-Australian team and won the award for joint-player of the tournament.

Daisy Pearce was named in the leadership group for the Victorian senior team at the 2009 championships and was again named in the championships' All-Australian team.

Daisy Pearce was named deputy vice-captain for Victoria at the 2011 championships.

Daisy Pearce won the inaugural VFL Women's best and fairest award and played in the first VFLW premiership in 2016 as Darebin defeated Melbourne University.

Daisy Pearce played in Darebin's grand final win over Diamond Creek in 2017, kicking a goal and receiving praise from coach Jane Lange for her leadership and commitment as Darebin won its fifth consecutive state league premiership and tenth in twelve seasons.

Daisy Pearce was adjudged best afield with 28 disposals in the first exhibition game, which Melbourne won by 32 points in front of a crowd of almost 8,000.

Daisy Pearce was named among Melbourne's best players with 23 disposals in the first match, which Melbourne won by eight points, and was best afield with 30 disposals in the second match, which Melbourne won by four points.

In February 2016, the AFL announced a ten-match national exhibition series to be played throughout the year, in which Melbourne played two games against the Western Bulldogs in March and September, as well as a match against a Brisbane Lions women's team at the MCG in May Daisy Pearce was best afield with 33 disposals and eleven marks in the first match, which Melbourne lost by 20 points, and was named among Melbourne's best players in its 71-point win over Brisbane.

Daisy Pearce was Melbourne's best player in its 39-point loss to the Bulldogs in September; the match was watched by an average audience of 387,000 people in Melbourne, which was greater than the average viewing audience for every Saturday night game during the 2016 AFL home-and-away season, as well as a national audience peak of over one million people.

Daisy Pearce was announced as the club's first AFLW captain in January 2017.

Daisy Pearce made her AFL Women's debut in Melbourne's inaugural match in round 1 against Brisbane at the club's home ground, Casey Fields, and was listed among her team's best players in the loss, recording 19 disposals and nine tackles.

Daisy Pearce was among Melbourne's best players in every game for the season; she was named by the AFL Players Association as "Player of the Week" for round 4 after recording 29 disposals and six tackles in Melbourne's win against Carlton and was awarded the maximum three votes for the AFL Women's best and fairest award in Melbourne's round 6 match against Adelaide.

Daisy Pearce won the inaugural Melbourne best and fairest award and AFLPA AFLW best captain award, and was one of three Melbourne players nominated by her teammates for the AFLPA AFLW most valuable player award.

Daisy Pearce averaged 21.9 disposals, the most of any player in the inaugural season.

Daisy Pearce was among Melbourne's best players in four of its first five matches of the season, polling the maximum three AFL Women's best and fairest votes in Melbourne's loss to Fremantle in round 3.

Daisy Pearce polled a game-high nine votes for the AFL Coaches Association AFLW champion player of the year award in rounds 1 and 3 and the maximum ten votes in round 5, and was selected in afl.

Daisy Pearce was again nominated by her teammates for the AFLPA AFLW most valuable player award.

Daisy Pearce continued to mentor and work with Melbourne players in an unofficial assistant coach role when they returned for pre-season training in November 2018, and gave birth to twins in February 2019.

In July 2019, Daisy Pearce returned to the club to train three days a week as part of what she called her "pre-pre-pre-season" for 2020, adding that she was surprised by how her body had responded after her twins' birth, and resumed training with her Melbourne teammates three weeks later.

Daisy Pearce ran a personal best time over two kilometres in the lead-up to the season.

Later that month, Daisy Pearce made a successful return to football, playing the first three quarters of Melbourne's practice match win against Collingwood.

Daisy Pearce played her first AFLW match in 694 days in Melbourne's win over North Melbourne in round 1, playing in a new role as a defender.

Daisy Pearce was named among Melbourne's best players in five of its six home-and-away matches for the season; she polled eight coaches' votes in round 2 and five in round 3, and was selected in womens.

Daisy Pearce was among Melbourne's best players with 22 disposals in its semi-final win over Greater Western Sydney, before the finals were cancelled with no premiership awarded due to the pandemic.

Daisy Pearce was selected in the initial 40-woman squad for the 2020 AFL Women's All-Australian team, and was voted as the AFLPA AFLW best captain and nominated by her teammates for the AFLPA AFLW most valuable player award for the third time.

Daisy Pearce polled the maximum three AFL Women's best and fairest votes in Melbourne's round 1 win against Gold Coast.

Daisy Pearce was named among Melbourne's best players in its win over St Kilda in round 6 after moving to the forward line and kicking two goals, and was selected in womens.

Daisy Pearce was named among Melbourne's best players in round 8 after kicking a goal and setting up the match-winning goal in the club's close win over Fremantle, which assured its position in that year's finals series.

Daisy Pearce injured the medial collateral ligament in her right knee in the opening two minutes of Melbourne's close win over Brisbane the following week after her leg was caught underneath her in a tackle, which ruled her out of Melbourne's qualifying final win against Fremantle and preliminary final loss to Adelaide.

Daisy Pearce was named as Melbourne captain for a fifth season leading into season 6, continuing in her forward role from midway through the previous season.

Stinear said that she was the strongest he had ever seen her; Daisy Pearce said that she had focused more heavily on weights and more of a strength and power focus over running during the pre-season.

Daisy Pearce polled the maximum three AFL Women's best and fairest votes in Melbourne's round 1 win over the Western Bulldogs and was among Melbourne's best players in its loss to Adelaide in round 4, kicking two of the team's three goals for the game.

At the halfway point of the season, Daisy Pearce was equal-third in the competition for average score involvements with 4.4 per game.

Daisy Pearce was among Melbourne's best players in its win over Brisbane in round 7, shifting back into defence during the match to record 15 disposals; she received five coaches' votes and was selected in womens.

Daisy Pearce was among Melbourne's best players with five goals in its record-breaking win over Fremantle in round 9, becoming Melbourne's first AFLW player and the fourth AFLW player overall to kick five goals in a match; she received the maximum ten coaches' votes, was selected in womens.

Daisy Pearce was among Melbourne's best players in its win over Carlton in round 10, kicking two goals and alternating between attack and defence to help Melbourne secure a top-two finish at the end of the home-and-away season.

Daisy Pearce played in Melbourne's preliminary final win over Brisbane in the first AFLW match played at the MCG to help the club progress to the 2022 AFL Women's season 6 Grand Final, its first grand final appearance.

Daisy Pearce was named in Champion Data's 2022 AFLW All-Star stats team after leading the competition for score involvements with 1.5 per game and kicking 13 goals in ten games, was named in the 2022 AFL Women's season 6 All-Australian team, her third All-Australian selection, and was voted as the AFLPA AFLW best captain for the fourth time in her career.

Daisy Pearce played in Melbourne's loss to Adelaide in the grand final, playing a key role in defence and on the wing.

Daisy Pearce kicked a goal from eight disposals in Melbourne's round 1 win over Adelaide, playing a negating role on Adelaide defender Sarah Allan as part of her role to "keep [Adelaide's] intercept game to a minimum".

Daisy Pearce was among Melbourne's best players in its win over North Melbourne in round 2 with two goals.

Daisy Pearce played her 50th game in Melbourne's win over Gold Coast in round 8, kicking a goal from 11 disposals and six marks.

Daisy Pearce kicked the winning goal in Melbourne's preliminary final win over North Melbourne to help the club progress to the 2022 AFL Women's season 7 Grand Final, its second consecutive grand final appearance.

Daisy Pearce played in Melbourne's premiership win over Brisbane the following week, one of five inaugural Melbourne players to do so.

Daisy Pearce was known for being a smart, skilled and composed player who directed play on-field.

Daisy Pearce began her AFL Women's career playing primarily as a midfielder, having achieved most of her recognition playing in that position; her average of 21.9 disposals per game in 2017 was the highest of any player.

In October 2021, Daisy Pearce was among eight women, including five current and former AFLW players, selected in the AFL's women's coaching academy for 2022; she completed a national AFL level three coaching accreditation course as part of the academy, designed to "accelerate the next generation of female coaches" in Australian rules football, and was mentored by former Darebin and St Kilda coach Peta Searle as part of the twelve-month program.

In June 2022, Daisy Pearce accepted a coaching position at Geelong as part of the AFL's women's coaching acceleration program.

Daisy Pearce was one of four current AFLW players and nine women overall to receive a position at a club; the program enabled the successful women to start their role anytime before 2025, which allowed Pearce to continue playing until she decided to begin in the role.

Daisy Pearce began her role as a development coach with Geelong in February 2023, having signed a four-year contract.

The Brisbane Lions later put the same ban on Daisy Pearce, with senior coach Chris Fagan saying that it was a hard decision and either choice was acceptable.

In December 2023, Daisy Pearce was announced as West Coast's new AFLW senior coach on a three-year contract, replacing Michael Prior, with the club describing the appointment as "one of the biggest recruiting coups of [its] history" in a club statement.

In week 1, in her first official match as an AFLW coach, Daisy Pearce coached West Coast to a one-point win over Richmond, followed by a 16-point loss to Essendon in week 2.

Daisy Pearce coached West Coast to an eleven-point win over the Western Bulldogs in week 3, overseeing West Coast's best start to an AFLW season with two wins from its first three matches, followed by a 17-point win over Collingwood in one of weeks 4's matches, marking the first time the club won consecutive AFLW matches and the first time it won three matches in a season, after only four matches.

Daisy Pearce coached West Coast to a 45-point loss to reigning premier Brisbane in the other week 4 match, followed by a 24-point win over Greater Western Sydney in week 5, in which the club recorded its highest AFLW score of 10.4 to place in the top eight on the ladder after six matches; however, West Coast would lose its final five matches of the season to finish 13th.

Daisy Pearce is an expert commentator for the Seven Network's AFL coverage on television and AFL Nation's AFL coverage for 1116 SEN on radio.

In 2016, Daisy Pearce began appearing as a panel member on the Seven Network program AFL Game Day; she was set to continue in the role in 2020 before the show was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2018, Daisy Pearce began appearing on the SEN morning shows SEN Breakfast and Whateley, and in 2019, she hosted This Is Grit, a weekly podcast series on SEN focusing on sportswomen.

Daisy Pearce previously provided special comments for radio network Triple M in 2017 and has written columns for newspaper The Age.

Daisy Pearce was a boundary rider for Seven's coverage of the AFL Grand Final in 2018 and 2019.

Daisy Pearce was shifted to Seven's Friday night commentary team for the 2022 season, before moving to Thursday nights in 2023 upon commencing her coaching role with Geelong's AFL team.

Daisy Pearce has advocated for both men and women to commentate and talk about women's football in the media.

Daisy Pearce believed that this applied to coaching, saying that while she supported women coaching in football, she wanted "the best coach that's out there" to coach her, describing Stinear as "the best coach for the job" at Melbourne.

Daisy Pearce believed that broader talks between the AFLPA and AFLW players, which would allow more players to speak directly to the AFLPA, would result in an agreement that would satisfy all players.

Daisy Pearce is often regarded by media as the face of women's Australian rules football and is highly regarded across the football industry for her professionalism, football knowledge and leadership, both on and off the field, as well as being a role model for current and future female footballers.

Daisy Pearce has that lovely balance of being engaging, warm and charismatic, but at the same time she is humble and keen to listen and improve.

In 2016, Daisy Pearce was named Football Woman of the Year for her work as the AFL's female football ambassador, an AFL talent coordinator and a graduate intern at the Melbourne Football Club.

On 7 March 2017, Daisy Pearce became the first woman to be elected as a director on the board of the AFLPA; the association had decided that day to include AFLW players as full members.

Daisy Pearce won the inaugural award in 2016 after winning six Helen Lambert Medals in the VWFL.

In December 2024, Daisy Pearce received life membership at Melbourne for her contributions to the club.

Daisy Pearce studied a Bachelor of Nursing and Midwifery at La Trobe University, graduating in 2010 and receiving a Distinguished Alumni award in 2019.

Daisy Pearce worked as a midwife at Box Hill Hospital and lived in Eltham at the time.

Daisy Pearce gave birth to twins with her partner, firefighter Ben O'Neill, in February 2019 via a caesarean section.

Daisy Pearce's son was diagnosed with dextrocardia while she was pregnant.

In June 2021, Daisy Pearce participated in the annual Big Freeze at the 'G event to raise funds for motor neurone disease research, sliding into the ice bath at the MCG in costume as the titular character from the Australian animated series Bluey.