SOME footballers breeze past milestone games.

Others aren't so lucky.

Alex Pearce falls into the latter category, which is why the Fremantle defender's 50th match against Richmond this Sunday will be a moment to savour.

"It's taken me a bit longer than what I would have hoped," Pearce told AFL.com.au.

"When I try to reflect a little bit and look back on how I got here, it is nice knowing some of the places I've been, some of the injuries I've had to be able to get through and get to where I am now.

"It is, I guess, just a stepping stone on what else further I want to achieve and games I want to play.

"But it's certainly a nice one to tick off."

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Pearce's injury history has been well-documented, but the mental toll of fighting back came to light more recently.

After claiming the Beacon Award as the Dockers' most promising young player in 2015, the sky was the limit for the then 20-year-old.

But disaster struck in the form of a broken tibia – ironically against the Tigers – in round nine the following season, and a subsequent break and complications forced him to consider his football mortality.

Pearce's road back from his 2016 injury was arduous mentally and physically. Picture: AFL Photos

"I don't know if I thought about quitting football, but I thought that football might be taken away from me and I might not have a choice," Pearce said.

"That's the lowest point I've got to and something I look back on, and why I don't take for granted the games I'm playing now.

"It's a bit of a driving force to, now that I've got my career in my own hands, keep getting the best out of myself, achieving whatever I can, and just keep striving to get better each week, each year."

Pearce, an ambassador for WA mental health service Youth Focus, has seen first-hand the difficulties some people go through after a close friend and family member experienced their own struggles.

He believes he can make a positive impact talking about his battle, including on his Dockers teammates, and prioritising his mental health has been a factor in his All Australian-level form this season.

"I really try to take a holistic approach in the way I go about my life in football – it's not all about recovering physically each week," Pearce said.

"It's about getting in a happy mental state where I'm enjoying my work week to week and I think, as a club and a playing group, if we can do that and enjoy each other's company it can really be beneficial on the field and we can really maximise our performance."

Pearce's standing at Fremantle was clear when he was elevated into the leadership group before his comeback last year.

After a 672-day wait between his 21st and 22nd games, he played all-but one match and produced some standout efforts, including beating West Coast star Josh Kennedy in the first-ever Western Derby at Optus Stadium.

Over the past two seasons, Pearce has quelled some of the competition's best spearheads. Picture: AFL Photos

But, with the benefit of a boosted pre-season workload, the 201cm Tasmanian has stepped up to the consistently elite class and was rated an All Australian lock by Jonathan Brown this week.

In three games this year, Pearce hasn't conceded a goal to his direct opponent.

He again won the rematch with Kennedy in the round four derby – despite the Eagles spearhead kicking three majors – and bested red-hot Coleman Medal leader Jeremy Cameron the following week. Cameron still kicked four, but Pearce nullified the rangy Giant in a shock road win, before shutting down in-form Crows skipper Taylor Walker (one) in a dour loss last round.

"It is better to have positive praise than negative (criticism) but I just look at the big picture really, and we're going into round eight, there's a lot of footy left," Pearce said.

"There is a little bit of external noise on me, but I guess I try not to take it on board too much and keep looking at what I can do for the team, how we can keep improving and how we can continue on our progression I guess."

Pearce, who is contracted to 2020 and happy to get through the year before looking at an extension, is more comfortable talking about sidekick Joel Hamling – "just a tough bloke to get a kick on" – and the Dockers' stingy defensive group.

Freo ranks second for points conceded, giving up a paltry 65 points per game, and has found such balance that fit-again young gun Connor Blakely still can't crack a game.

"Just our back seven being able to play some consistent football together, we know each other's games better, we know our strengths and weaknesses and we can play to that a bit more," Pearce said.

"Starting to feel really comfortable as a back seven now we can rely on each other and we've got each other's back."

It's that collective Pearce will rely on for help against Richmond's star recruit Tom Lynch, who has been under pressure this week, in a match that will give a clearer indication of Fremantle's finals credentials this Sunday. The Dockers sit fifth on the ladder with a healthy percentage and 4-3 record, and victory over the Tigers, despite their injuries, would be a shot in the arm for their September prospects.

"It is a big test. We need to bounce back, we don't want to lose two in a row and we want to put in a really good performance at home and make Optus Stadium a fortress really," Pearce said.

"We know after last week Richmond are going to bounce back, that's the type of team they are.

"They've been probably the best team in the comp for the last couple of years, and they've had some really good wins with their backs against the wall."

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