After arriving in the West with his young family to join a new club, Danyle Pearce fretted about his first meeting with Ross Lyon.

The Fremantle senior coach’s reputation preceded him.

“He’s this big demeanour, big personality bloke, and I was about to meet him,” Pearce said.

“What do I do? What do I say?”

Pearce was a little surprised.

“From the moment he walked in and I met him, he seemed like a really great bloke. You could sit down and have a chat to him.”

The pair discussed where Pearce could fit into the Fremantle Dockers’ line-up in 2013.

The former Port player believed he could play a role in the midfield and wing, and also at half-forward.

Pearce played 154 games in eight seasons at the Power, including a Rising Star win in 2006 and a Grand Final appearance in 2007.

But he also discovered the past counts for nothing in Lyon’s book.

“As soon as you cross the line, he’ll put you back in your place,” Pearce said.

“It’s not too dissimilar from most AFL clubs. You come in and do the hard work and put in the hard yards, don’t step on anyone’s toes, and you’ve got nothing to worry about.”

Pearce moved to WA with his wife Tara and children, Kyla, 4, and Jordan, 3. He said it was a tough decision to relocate and leave their family behind in Adelaide.

“But it’s exciting coming here at the same time,” he said.

“We’re really looking forward to the next few years here, and hopefully a few more after that.”

Kyla has already begun to make the transition to purple.

“She understands that we’re in a new city with a new team, and she’s got the Freo song down pat,” he said.

“She loves it.”

Watching Fremantle’s finish to the 2012 season attracted Pearce to the club.

“They went forward in leaps and bounds,” he said.

“The Geelong final was what swayed me across.

“To see how well they played and how good they’re going to be, I thought I’d like to get over there and help out in any way.”

Pearce believes there is still plenty of room for improvement in his game.

“I’m only 26,” he said.

“If you asked an outsider, they’d say that’s old. But I still feel like one of the young blokes.

“I’ll try and fit in, learn the system and do everything I can to get a spot in the 22.

“I’ve come halfway across Australia. My goal is to break into that 22.”