Mitchell Pearce
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| Personal information | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mitchell Pearce | |||||
| Born | 7 April 1989 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | |||||
| Height | 183 cm (6 ft 0 in) | |||||
| Weight | 90 kg (14 st 2 lb) | |||||
| Playing information | ||||||
| Position | Halfback | |||||
| Club | ||||||
| Years | Team | Pld | T | G | FG | P |
| 2007- | Sydney Roosters | 156 | 44 | 0 | 3 | 179 |
| Representative | ||||||
| Years | Team | Pld | T | G | FG | P |
| 2008–2012 | City Origin | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008- | New South Wales | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2011 | Prime Minister's XIII | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Mitchell Pearce (born 7 April 1989) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Sydney Roosters of the National Rugby League. A New South Wales State of Origin representative half-back, he has played his entire career to date with the Roosters, winning the 2013 NRL Premiership with them. The son of former Australian test player, Wayne Pearce, Mitchell has also played for the City New South Wales team.
Playing career
Pearce made his National Rugby League debut for the Sydney Roosters on 24 March 2007 against the North Queensland Cowboys at Dairy Farmers Stadium.[1] After only three First Grade appearances for the Roosters, Pearce's contract was extended by the club to until the end of the 2010 season.[2]
Pearce had a solid debut season, scoring 2 tries and registering 13 try assists.[3] Despite this, a back injury kept him out of the latter part of the season.[4] In an early career highlight, Pearce ran 80 metres to score a last-minute try, snatching victory for the Sydney Roosters against the Penrith Panthers in a 24–20 win on 16 June 2007.[5]
2008
Pairing Braith Anasta in the halves, Pearce had a strong start to the 2008 season. His performances in the early rounds were such that he was considered in the running for the New South Wales halfback position for the 2008 Rugby League State of Origin series.[6][7] Pearce's Origin chances were strengthened when he was named as starting half-back for the City Origin Team in the annual City vs Country Origin match.[8] In his senior representative debut, Pearce played a solid game, helping City to a 22-all draw with Country.[9] Pearce's Origin dream was finally realised when, on 24 June 2008, it was announced that he would replace the injured Peter Wallace as halfback for the NSW Blues against Queensland in the 2008 Origin Decider at ANZ Stadium on 2 July.
2009
This season is not a good one despite losing partner Braith Anasta to a season-ending knee injury, he cannot find good form for the Roosters.[citation needed]
2010
The 2010 season kicked off very well for Pearce. He scored two tries in Round 1 and also in Round 2. He continued to impress the crowd with his partners, Braith Anasta and Todd Carney. The switch of Todd Carney to his preferred role at five-eighth allowed the two to create a powerful combo which was deemed by many as the best halves pairing in the league. Before Game I of State of Origin, he suffered shoulder injury which put him out six weeks and missed out the opening. He then became the halfback for games II and III of State of Origin. Unfortunately, he had little influence on both games, seemingly reluctant to accept responsibility for play-making. Although Pearce did help the Roosters make it to the grand final however Pearce showed his lack of ability in high pressure games, where the Rooseters were defeated by the Dragons 32-8.
2011
This season wasn't one to remember for the Roosters. They struggled and didn't make the top eight. Yet, Pearce was chosen for all Origin games. He played his same style in a resurgent Blues side, who came close to winning the series. Pearce, alongside Anasta in the halves, were lucky to see the Chooks away from a wooden spoon. They both found form, and the Roosters defeat four top sides, including the Melbourne Storm.
2012
Pearce continued to be selected at halfback for New South Wales in the 2012 State of Origin series.
2013
In the 2013 season, Mitchell Pearce formed a new halves combination with former New Zealand Warriors five-eight, James Maloney. The two found immediate success and were subsequently selected as the NSW Blues 6 and 7. Pearce found good form after the State Of Origin series, as the Roosters became minor premiers and won the grand final. He scored 5 tries the 2013 NRL season.
Point Scoring Summary – Roosters(NRL)
| Season | Appearance | Interchange | Tries | Goals | F/G | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007(Roosters) | 13 | 3 | 2 | – | – | 8 |
| 2008(Roosters) | 25 | – | 7 | – | 1 | 29 |
| 2009(Roosters) | 24 | – | 8 | – | 1 | 33 |
| 2010(Roosters) | 22 | – | 9 | – | – | 36 |
| 2011(Roosters) | 21 | – | 3 | – | 1 | 13 |
| 2012(Roosters) | 22 | – | 10 | – | – | 40 |
| 2013(Roosters) | 26 | – | 5 | – | – | 20 |
| Overall | 153 | 3 | 44 | 0 | 3 | 179 |
References
- ↑ Mitchell Pearce – profile NRL. Retrieved 11 March 2008
- ↑ Roosters extend Pearce's contract Fox Sports News. Retrieved 11 March 2008
- ↑ Mitchell Pearce statistics NRL Stats. Retrieved 8 May 2008
- ↑ Pearce out for six weeks Sydney Roosters. Retrieved 8 May 2008
- ↑ Rookies get Roosters home SportsAustralia.com. Retrieved 8 May 2008
- ↑ Pearce born to be a leader Fox Sports News. Retrieved 8 May 2008
- ↑ Pearce firmly in Origin hunt Fox Sports News. Retrieved 8 May 2008
- ↑ Pearce gets his chance in City-Country clash Live News. Retrieved 8 May 2008
- ↑ Honours shared in City Country clash ABC News. Retrieved 8 May 2008
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