A true champion of the game and well deserved...congratulations Daisy.

melbournefc.com.au

AFL Hall of Fame | Pearce's historical induction

The Melbourne Football Club congratulates inaugural AFLW captain Daisy Pearce on her induction into the Australian Football Hall of Fame

A great ambassador for the MFC and a wonderful player. Congratulations, Daisy.

In true MFC fashion, pioneering this game and pushing it forward.

Well done Daisy, the true definition of a female warrior!

One of our own ❤️💙

A class act is Daisy...she spoke so well tonight.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ pioneer, footballer, leader and person. Congratulations Daisy!

Edited June 10Jun 10 by Deeoldfart

What a legend. Get her back to the Demons as soon as possible.

Great job Daisy, true legend

fabulous that she and erin phillips were straight in, and together in the same year

it really does feel like they were the doyens of aflw, and daisy's hall of fame elevation were much-deserved

I miss Daisy's commentary. Made some of the guys she sat next to look like muppets.

Daisy is an absolute superstar both on and off the field, and we are so lucky to have had her at the club when we did. Hopefully she will return in a coaching capacity at some stage.

As an aside, it is fantastic that Daisy and Erin Phillips have been acknowledged for their outstanding contributions to the game. However, and this is said as a fan of the AFLW, I do hope the AFL don't go overboard in trying to fast track large numbers of AFLW players into the Hall of Fame over the next few years. The same eligibility criteria need to apply for the women as for the men to maintain the integrity of the HOF.

Very proud moment for her and the community that this club represents.

Whether some wanted to or not - the club spent a lot of capital forwarding the opportunities of women in our sport and I was proud then of the stories we were to enable and prouder still of the names Daisy and Erin and whoever is next…

Absolute legend

Congratulations Daisy,

Pioneer of AFLW and a fantastic ambassador for the game in general.

Will forever be a club legend

A giant of the game and the club, and one of our finest ambassadors.

Her story isn't finished yet.

I hope she becomes the first female coach in the men's game, and goes on to win a flag - with us.

❤️💙🏆💙❤️

Not sure many people even grasp the level of physical mental and emotional strength it would take to birth twins and then return to play and win a flag shortly after.

The damage the female body goes thru post birth is significant, especially when birthing multiples. It is a far far greater “injury” hurdle to overcome than just about any typical AFL injury would be.

Not enough is being said about the additional physical challenges that women playing AFL (or any contact sport for that matter) have to overcome to be at their peak every week.

Absolute admiration for Daisy!

It's strange to think Daisy was 29 when AFLW started. We certainly didn't see her best on the field and yet her influence on and off it for the MFC and league was unmatched. And it was her commitment to the VWFL that got the ball rolling for the league in a lot of ways - she simply dominated and the team and rivals that went with her essentially became the AFLW.

Daisy Pearce

Melbourne (2017-22): 55 games, 25 goals
AFLW premiership: 2022
Melbourne best and fairest: 2017, 2018, 2022
All-Australian: 2017 (captain), 2018, 2022
Melbourne captain: 2017-18, 2020-22
VWFL premierships: Darebin 2006, 2007, 2008 (c), 2009 (c), 2010 (c), 2013 (c), 2014 (c), 2015 (c)
VFLW premierships: Darebin 2016 (c), 2017
Helen Lambert Medal (VWFL B&F): 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015
Lisa Hardeman Medal (Grand Final BOG): 2005, 2014
Darebin best and fairest: 2005, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012

It's also really fitting that Daisy and Erin go in together as they represent two different paths for women of their generation in terms of Aussie Rules.

Erin is an elite athlete who was probably always going to find her way to the top tier of a professional sport. She was lost to the game, like so many others, because she had other choices. When footy was back on the table in a (semi) professional way, she was there to show what someone who'd had a decade plus of pro conditioning could do.

Daisy, with respect, was probably never going to make it in another sport. She had tunnel vision for footy and was lucky enough to find supportive environments, against the odds, but also due to her dedication. So much of her success on the field was due to footy smarts that were hard-won before the public spotlight arrived. Also just an incredible leader, whose fingerprints are still all over our AFLW program.