FREMANTLE young gun Alex Pearce has suffered a setback in his recovery from a broken leg, with a partial fracture set to sideline the emerging tall defender indefinitely.
Pearce broke his right tibia against Richmond in round nine last year after landing awkwardly from a marking contest and missed the rest of the season.
The 21-year-old had been building his way towards full pre-season training, before hurting the same leg during a running drill at Fremantle Oval last Friday.
"Alex won’t need to undergo any surgery to the leg, however he will be required to wear a weight-bearing cast for six weeks to maximise his rehabilitation," general manager football operations Chris Bond said.
"It’s just an unfortunate incident that happened during a standard running session with our rehab group.
"Alex is in good spirits despite the setback, and he and our medical team are focused on ensuring he has an impact in the 2017 season."
Pearce's setback comes after he travelled to Los Angeles late last year with superstar teammate Nat Fyfe, who broke his leg for the second time in round five last season, for an intensive two-week training camp.
The 200cm key defender is one of the Dockers' brightest emerging stars, playing 21 games since his debut in round six, 2015 and taking out the Beacon Award as the club's best young player that season.
