Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir says Dockers captain Alex Pearce deserves to be in early All-Australian conversations following his hot start to the season.

Pearce has been outstanding in defence amid Fremantle’s 5-1 start, with his highlight being his match-saving smother to deny Adelaide on their home deck.

The 30-year-old is averaging 4.5 spoils per game, his highest since 2021, and is ranked sixth in the competition for intercept marks with more than two a game.

It’s seen him put up in lights as an early All-Australian contender, which Longmuir says is just reward for his efforts.

“I would think he deserves to be there. I haven’t watched every team as closely as the selectors, but he’d be in my team,” he said.

Pearce has never made an All-Australian side with injuries his biggest roadblock in recent years, following repeated breaks in his arm and ankle issues.

However, an uninterrupted off-season has allowed Pearce to focus on his role as the team’s No.1 defender.

“It comes down to continuity but also, I think he’s preparing as well as he’s ever prepared,” Longmuir said.

“He’s had a fantastic start and off the back of that, he’s reading the game really well.”

While Pearce has been lauded for his defensive acts, Longmuir said his leadership has been the standout feature of his game, particularly in their thrilling back-to-back wins over the Crows and Collingwood.

Longmuir said the 30-year-old is always the first to stand up when the Dockers are put under pressure.

“I don’t really want to talk too much on his behalf with that but you just get a good sense he understands what’s needed each week through his preparation, and that allows him to go out and play with freedom and just really back himself in,” he said.

“When the momentum is against us, he’s always our loudest player and connecting his teammates and keeping us on track.”

It echoes comments from backline coach Jade Rawlings, who earlier this month said Pearce was the most underrated captain in the AFL.

“A lot of Alex’s leadership and captaincy is based on his value set. He’s from a great family, he lives his life well, he’s naturally a quieter person away from the club, but he plays with a massive presence on game day,” Rawlings told AFL.com.

“I think people are starting to acknowledge the impact he has as a player as much as a leader and starting to see that in the key moments for our club, Alex is thriving as much as anyone when the moment requires it.

“You don’t fluke that. It doesn’t just keep happening to him by chance, so it’s good when people start recognising that.”