ON TUESDAY night, Melbourne captain Daisy Pearce was announced as this year’s recipient of the Best Opinion/Analysis Award at the 2021 Australian Football Media Awards.

Pearce was recognised for her work across Seven Network’s coverage of both AFL and AFLW seasons, with the AFMA committee stating that her knowledge of the game was exceptional.

“Daisy speaks directly to the audience, providing insightful analysis of the game. She is natural and engaging and can dissect game plans and strategies in a concise and easy-to-digest manner. Daisy’s football knowledge is incredible, and she leaves viewers with a better appreciation of the game,” the AFMA committee said.

On Thursday, Pearce spoke to SEN Breakfast and reflected on the barriers she faced when starting out in the industry, which is an often male-dominated space.

"It's taken me time to convince people I belong, and that's before you even sit down and start unpacking a game and articulating it,” Pearce told SEN Breakfast.  

“Firstly, it’s convincing the decision makers that give people in roles like this an opportunity.

“The next step, it’s convincing the audience. The final step, which I've found the most difficult, is convincing yourself you belong.

“Unknowingly, the narrative around the place of women in the game, had seeped into my psyche.”

The 33-year-old spoke candidly on how she has developed her career, with the most important aspect to this development being her ability to feel comfortable within the football media space.

"Everything that makes footy a complex game to take in and analyse and articulate, that's had to come after finding that sense of belonging," Pearce said. 

"I do get the game, I've lived parts of it, I've been a leading player that everyone has turned to, been someone that had to work their way back into a side.

"Then building relationships with people at different clubs, you work out that if those people think I'm on the money, well then that's really helped me believe that I do belong, and that's a constant work in process."

Pearce is currently completing 14 days quarantine in Perth as she prepares to cover the 2021 Toyota AFL Grand Final for the Seven Network on Saturday 25 September.