MELBOURNE will honour one of the game’s greatest players, naming the club’s AFLW Best and Fairest Award the Daisy Pearce Trophy.
Club President Kate Roffey made the announcement at the Demons’ Best and Fairest on Saturday night, the event at which Pearce won three of the club’s highest individual honours.
The much-loved Dee retired at the end of the 2022 AFL Women’s season after a stunning career in which she became known as one of the pioneers of women’s football in Victoria.
A Premiership captain, three-time All Australian team member (2017, 2018, 2022), three-time club Best and Fairest, and four-time AFLW Players’ Association best captain (2017, 2018, 2020, 2022), Pearce quickly became one of the most recognisable AFLW footballers in the league.
Roffey reinforced her pride in being able to recognise Pearce as one of the most respected members of the Melbourne Football Club over its 165-year history.
“There is no person who embodies ‘Demon Spirit’ more than Daisy Pearce. Not only her on-field performance but also her leadership, care, and commitment to the red and blue means there is no-one more deserving of this recognition than Daisy,” Roffey said.
“She is an iconic figure of our game, who will be forever remembered at our club as a pioneer who advocated for the creation of our women’s competition. Daisy’s reputation as a legend of the game is justified, but those who played with her and call her a friend will know that Daisy as a person is kind, compassionate, and fiercely protective.
“We are incredibly proud to recognise Daisy’s legacy and continued impact, on not only our great club, but the broader competition.”
Prior to the inauguration of the league in 2017, Pearce also had a glittering career in the VWFL/VFLW. She played 200 games with Darebin Falcons, captaining the side from 2008 to 2016, and played in 10 VWFL/VFLW premierships.
She concluded her playing days as a seven-time VFLW Best and Fairest league winner (the medal was later named partly in her honour).
Pearce was the marquee signing of the AFLW draft in 2016, and the first player drafted by the Demons. She was named inaugural captain of the side, leading the Dees from 2017-2018 and 2020-2022, only stepping away from playing whilst pregnant with her twins Roy and Sylvie.
Moving forward, the Melbourne player deemed the best and fairest each AFLW season will receive the Daisy Pearce Trophy; an achievement now with additional significance.
