1. Mitchell Pearce was born on 7 April 1989 and is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who last played as a scrum-half for the Catalans Dragons in the Super League.
47 Facts About Mitchell Pearce
1. 2.
Mitchell Pearce previously played for Sydney Roosters, with whom he won the 2013 NRL Grand Final and Newcastle Knights in the NRL.
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Mitchell Pearce is the son of the ARL commissioner, former Balmain Tigers legend, New South Wales and Australian international Wayne Pearce.
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Mitchell Pearce played his junior football for the Asquith Magpies and North Ryde Hawks.
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Mitchell Pearce attended and played rugby union for Barker College, before transferring to Marist Catholic College North Shore for his senior years, where he played league alongside his friend Kieran Foran.
6.
Later into the season, Mitchell Pearce was ruled out for 6 weeks to due a back injury and later in Round 23 onwards where he played off the interchange bench in last 3 matches.
7.
Mitchell Pearce finished his debut year in the NRL with him playing in 16 matches and scoring 2 tries in the 2007 NRL season.
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Mitchell Pearce finished the 2008 season with him playing in 25 matches, scoring 7 tries and kicking 1 field goal for the Roosters.
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In March 2009, Mitchell Pearce extended his contract with the Roosters to the end to the 2013 season.
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Mitchell Pearce finished Roosters' wooden spoon dreaded 2009 NRL season with him playing in all the Roosters 24 matches, scoring 8 tries and kicking 1 field goal.
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Mitchell Pearce finished the 2010 NRL season with him playing in 22 matches and scored 9 tries for the Roosters.
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Mitchell Pearce finished the season with him playing in 21 matches, scoring 3 tries and kicking 1 field goal.
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In June 2012, Mitchell Pearce was rumoured to leave the Roosters to join the Wests Tigers because a tough relationship with the Brian Smith over him being printed on the papers due to his party boy antics.
14.
Mitchell Pearce finished the 2012 NRL season with him playing in 22 matches and scoring 10 tries.
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On 13 February 2013, Mitchell Pearce extended his contract with the Roosters to the end of the 2017 season.
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Mitchell Pearce would help the Roosters to win the Minor Premiership and later made it into the 2013 NRL Grand Final where they played against the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles.
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Mitchell Pearce finished the Roosters successful 2013 NRL season with him playing in 26 matches and scoring 5 tries.
18.
In May 2014, Mitchell Pearce was given an infringement notice by police after he refused to leave a nightclub in Kings Cross after a female clubber complained about his actions.
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Mitchell Pearce was later fined $20,000 and given a 1 match suspension.
20.
Mitchell Pearce was later dropped from the New South Wales squad, where Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs halfback Trent Hodkinson took over his incumbent spot and by coincidence he scored the winning try in Game 2 to win the series for the Blues for the first time since 2005 as Mitchell Pearce has never had an Origin series win.
21.
Mitchell Pearce finished the 2014 NRL season with him playing in 26 matches and scoring 9 tries for the Roosters.
22.
Mitchell Pearce finished the 2015 NRL season with him playing in 21 matches and scoring 1 try for the Roosters.
23.
Mitchell Pearce was not selected for New South Wales for the 2016 State of Origin series, with selectors opting to put South Sydney Rabbitohs half Adam Reynolds at halfback.
24.
Mitchell Pearce finished his rough 2016 NRL season with him playing in a career low 12 matches and scoring 1 try for the Roosters.
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Mitchell Pearce who started the season in good form would again get selected to play at halfback for New South Wales for the 2017 State of Origin series in all 3 matches and scored 2 tries in another unsuccessful attempt for Mitchell Pearce to be part of winning Origin team.
26.
On 27 September 2017, Mitchell Pearce was the winner of the Peter Frilingos Headline Moment of the Year of his match winning performance in the Roosters ANZAC Day clash against the St George Illawarra Dragons.
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Mitchell Pearce, feeling betrayed, started weighing his future in what would be the biggest decision in his career.
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Mitchell Pearce was negotiating with the Newcastle Knights, Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles and the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks.
29.
On 30 November 2017, it was announced that Mitchell Pearce signed a 4-year deal with the Newcastle Knights starting from 2018, worth about $4 Million over the time.
30.
Mitchell Pearce finished his 10-year stint with the Sydney Roosters with him playing in playing in 23 matches, scoring 7 tries and kicking 3 field goals in the 2017 NRL season.
31.
Once returning from injury, Mitchell Pearce played in the remaining 8 games of the season.
32.
Mitchell Pearce ended the year with 22 votes in the Dally M Awards, finishing in 5th overall and 2nd for the Knights.
33.
Mitchell Pearce played 21 games for Newcastle in the 2020 NRL season as the club reached the finals for the first time since 2013.
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Mitchell Pearce played in the club's elimination final loss against South Sydney.
35.
On 27 October, Mitchell Pearce requested a release from the final year of his Newcastle contract to join Super League side Catalans Dragons in 2022.
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Mitchell Pearce finished the 2022 season scoring ten tries in 23 games.
37.
On 14 October, Mitchell Pearce played in Catalans 2023 Super League Grand Final loss against Wigan which would be his final match as a player.
38.
On 2 July 2008, Mitchell Pearce was selected to make his State of Origin debut for New South Wales, replacing the injured Peter Wallace in the Game 3 series decider match at ANZ Stadium.
39.
Mitchell Pearce played at halfback for New South Wales for the 2017 State of Origin series in all 3 matches and scored 2 tries in another unsuccessful attempt for Mitchell Pearce to be part of winning Origin team.
40.
In December 2005, Mitchell Pearce, who was then 16 years old, was at a charity golf function in the Sunshine Coast when he was attacked by a drunken Craig Gower, the Penrith Panthers captain.
41.
In May 2014, Mitchell Pearce was fined $20,000 and suspended for one game by the Roosters following an incident in a Kings Cross nightclub.
42.
Mitchell Pearce had made a complaint to the police, but did not proceed with further action.
43.
The police issued an infringement notice to Mitchell Pearce for failing to leave the club when asked and banned him from the Kings Cross area for 48 hours.
44.
Two days after the video was first aired, an emotional Mitchell Pearce read a statement to the media apologising for his actions and acknowledging that he has a problem with alcohol.
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Mitchell Pearce left Australia shortly thereafter, for treatment in an "intensive rehabilitation facility for an extended period".
46.
Shortly afterwards, Mitchell Pearce overcame the impasse in negotiations between the Roosters and the NRL over the severity of his punishment by phoning his club and saying that he "deserved to be sidelined for a lengthy period".
47.
Mitchell Pearce was given a fine of $125,000, with $50,000 being suspended for two years, and an eight match ban.