Melbourne captain Daisy Pearce has today announced her retirement from the AFLW.
The 34-year-old hangs up the boots as a trailblazer in the young competition with a premiership and 55 games to her name.
As perhaps the face of women’s football in Australia, Pearce steps away with a raft of accolades including being named a three-time All Australian (one as captain), three-time best and fairest, four-time AFLPA best captain and AFLW State of Origin best on ground winner.
Pearce revealed the news at the MCG on Wednesday morning alongside premiership coach Mick Stinear.
“We struggled to iron out a few of the details in the seven-year contract we were trying to negotiate (laughs), and instead I’ll be making my retirement,” Pearce said.
“I’ll be closing the chapter of my playing career with a very full heart, not just because we ticked off the premiership box in the season just gone but because of the career I've loved and cherished.
“I’ll miss the whole program and the players, staff and people I’ve shared the journey with immensely. That’s probably been the hardest thing in making the decision.
“I think there was a bit of an assumption that it was, ‘Win it and I’m done or lose it and I might have to consider going again’, but in fact the satisfaction of last season and the enjoyment and the closeness of the bonds we’ve formed, it actually made it harder and more confusing to step away.
“It’s been one of the harder decisions I’ve ever had to make, but now that I’m here and I’ve been able to say it out loud to Mick and a few of my teammates, I feel like it’s the right decision.
“It probably mostly came down to the fact that I had this feeling of contentness inside me, which is a new feeling as a football player.
“I think whatever’s happened over the journey, content is never something that I’ve felt, so as the weeks ticked by and whilst there was little spurs of thinking of going back-to-back … there was also an element of overall satisfaction and that the chapter in my life is a full one.
“(I have) a real excitement about what’s next for me and my family, so I’m looking forward to that.”
Pearce also retires a legend of the VWFL/VFLW competition having captained powerhouse Darebin from 2008 to 2016.
She played in 10 premierships for the Falcons (seven as captain) and was a seven-time league best and fairest winner, with the VFLW best and fairest award - the Lambert-Pearce Medal - named in her honour.