Top 2

[novice chook]

My favourite Pearce moment came in his first season. Round 14 vs the Panthers, his first match playing Gower who had molested his sister earlier in the year.

We looked absolutely shot all night, but were still somehow within a try coming into the final minute. Penrith had a full set on our line, just had to run out the clock to win it. Sa stormed off the line like a bat out of hell and crushed Gower, who dropped the ball. Wing swooped in, then offloaded to the jack rabbit Peace who ran 80 metres to score under the posts and steal the game as the siren sounded.

My 2nd favourite Pearce moment was in 2013, round 26 vs Souths. SBW bashed through the line, then drew the fullback and popped the perfect short ball to Pearce who flicked on the after burners and left ol' Sammy B for dead to score under the sticks. That try defined our premiership run IMO.

I suppose it is a little telling that my 2 best memories of our halfback of 11 seasons have nothing to do with actual halfback play.... but there you go.

Pearce is not a bad football player by any stretch, but his career will ultimately be defined by his inability to step up in big moments i.e. origin and finals footy

Thanks for reminding me - I was at home on the couch watching that game on TV and still remember Brandy Alexander trying to commentate and choking on his words as the Chooks snatched victory from defeat.

I remember more good moments from Pearce than bad. And wish him all the best for his future.

I wish Cronk good luck as well - he'll need it given the extraordinarily high expectations placed on him by many Chooks fans.

[roosterchook]

I think that had Cronk been available back when we got the 3 minor premierships we may have had 2 more trophies.

Lets try and avoid mixing up Pearce the footballer with Pearce the loyal clubman. He was not a good half. He was easy to read, panicked under pressure and couldn’t apply pressure himself on the opposition often going for a high kick hoping to win the lottery. He was made to look good next to SBW and Carney but was a very, very ordinary and predictable half.

We have some of the best strike players in the comp yet he has been unable to take advantage of them. He let us down and that ruined our year with the dog incident. He played a ‘great’ game or two every year just before Origin then folded for the rest of the year.

This year Keary played awesome and with Cronk we won’t be lacking in the halves. Add Tedesco and some set plays and though I doubt we’ll win the comp we might make the 8 again. The reason I say might make the 8 is because the boys might take Pearcy’s leaving badly and with some suspicion and mistrust as to where some of them now stand.

Think of it. You have a great well paid job which you love. Next minute without telling you, your replacement is hired and you are demoted and told you can stay on if you want. How are your mates of 10 yrs going to take that?

I bet there’s more than two players at Easts that would love nothing more than to see Cronk fail. By next year we should know. But to make it to the top you need to be united. That unity has now been put under a lot of stress by the way a best mate has been treated after years of faithful service.

[Kingbilly]

For example?

Next time Cronk pretends to have sex with a dog perhaps ...

[stsae]

I think we on a winnner with what has happened.
But I know 100% that Cronk will do things that Pearce would have been blasted for, yet he will get called a genius

The Flogs will need a new whipping boy that's for sure mate.

Coach Floggo will be 1st in line I'm guessing.

Toops is always a go to, yep blame a winger that's a Flog option.

But I'm guessing it will be the front row.

With SKiD and Snitz gone it cant be the new and cant be the faves so it has to be someone.

Will be interesting to see Cronks kicking game alone. Will the coach insist on the same game plan? Chip to the corner and chase and pin?

And will Snitz develop his kicking game elsewhere?

So many interesting things to see.

[horrie hastings]

Oh and the only time I met him was in the restroom at the Freeway Hotel. Exchanged gdays mate.

I was in there and he came in with his beer. Why do guys do that?

Bring their beers in I mean....not use restrooms generally.

Lol, I think you summed up the type of person he was with that post.

[horrie hastings]

Top 2 Pearce moments.

Anzac Day 2017, that try he scored where he didn't lose control of the ball over the line to level up the score and then the field goal in golden point.

Adelaide Oval against the Storm, the field goal in golden point again although I still remember that game more because of Michael Gordon's ice cool nerves converting from the sidelines on the different sides in the last 10 mins to keep us in the game then to level the scores.

Honourable mentions, the try he scored when he backed up Carney in 2010 semi against the Tigers to put us a point behind with 5 mins left on the clock which then led to probably one of the best field goals I have ever seen from Braith Anasta to lock the score up at full time.

The length of the field try he scored against Penrith at Penrith Park in 2007 against the run of play to jag us a 24-20 win at the death.

[4 the all in brawl]

lets hear them lads.

Loved him or hated him, he would've made you proud at least once or twice on the field.

2012 round 1 vs souths
2017 Anzac Day

Or turn it into another fanboy vs flog thread.
Up to you guys.

His two best games we did lose but he was enormous in both of them.

The 2012 Anzac Day game was his best game for us, period.

The other one was 2016 verses the Bulldogs...close to a 9 or 10 out of 10 game from him.

In 2014 he ran down GI and then in the loss to the Souffs Vermin scored a brilliant solo try beating GI.

The Anzac Day game this year was special too. There are plenty more, the try he scored verses Souths in Rd 26 2013, the one he ran away against Penrith and Gower in 2007 or 2008?

The 40-0 drubbing Rooster 6 alluded too and that pass to Cordner to enable us to beat the Broncos in 2014 up there will stay in my memory.

Also his 80m try outsprinting B Morris and Soward to score and there are plenty of others.

I am nowhere near his biggest fan but he did leave us some special memories.

[4 the all in brawl]

A game that sticks in my mind for Pearcey is one he had not long after his return from the enforced hiatus in 2016.

I cant remember who we played but we got beat in a close one at Allianz.

He did everything physically possible to win us that game...did not deserve to be on a losing side that day. Really busted himself.

It was a Thursday night against the Dogs, we were up 12-0 and they came back hit a decent lead but Pearce kept us in the game and we nearly snatched it. It was the game the Dogs won on a few dubious decisions including one of their players getting assistance to score a try and I think SKds may have butchered a two on one situation with a forward pass lol....