Heartbroken Fremantle skipper dedicates the goal that saved the Dockers to late mate Cam McCarthy: ‘Cam would kick this!’

Fremantle captain Alex Pearce fought back tears as he dedicated his last-gasp goal that sealed Friday night’s draw with Collingwood to his late friend, former Docker Cam McCarthy. 

McCarthy tragically passed away earlier this month at just 29 years old.

Pearce and his teammates bravely played against Sydney just hours after learning the tragic news two weeks ago. 

On Friday, Pearce kicked an emotional late goal as the Dockers staged a frantic comeback to secure a 75-75 draw with Collingwood at Optus Stadium.

McCarthy was found unresponsive in his Perth home in early May, police said there were no suspicious circumstances

The game seemed won by Collingwood after Bobby Hill’s goal gave them a 25-point lead with seven-and-a-half minutes remaining. 

However, Fremantle’s Bailey Banfield, Hayden Young, and Sean Darcy scored crucial goals that put the Dockers within reach. 

Pearce then took a sliding mark and kicked truly to cut the margin to one point with 109 seconds left.

Pearce took a moment to honor his late friend after kicking the final goal. 

‘I was actually talking to (teammate) Lukey Ryan, I was like, ‘mate my legs are cooked here. You might have to go forward instead of me’ and he was like ‘nah mate, you’re doing it,” Pearce told 7Sport post-match. 

‘So I went. Glad I did.’

‘It’s just something when the game’s on the line we send one of our backs forward – what defenders out there don’t want to play forward every now and then,’ he added.

After scoring his fifth goal in his nine-year AFL career, Pearce was visibly moved as he saluted and pointed to the sky. 

‘It’s been tough. A couple of weeks ago it was a really hard game to get through,’ he said of McCarthy.

‘I was nervous going back when I had it. My hands were a little bit shaky. 

I did think ‘Cam would kick this’, so yeah I was happy. It was for him. I’m just so proud of everyone to be honest.’

Reflecting on the final minutes of the game, Pearce said, ‘That last five minutes was something! We were in a fair bit of trouble there – it looked unlikely.’

Despite Fremantle having a chance to win it, Jeremy Sharp’s 25m shot on the run with 47 seconds left only managed a behind. Collingwood surged forward but Fremantle’s defense held firm, leading to the 10.15 (75) to 11.9 (75) draw.

It marked Collingwood’s second draw of the season, following their stalemate with Essendon. Adding to Collingwood’s woes, Mason Cox and Brody Mihocek look set to join their injury list.