DANYLE Pearce says a move into Port Adelaide's defence is not set in stone, despite him spending the final four games of 2011 down back.
Pearce has spent several training sessions as a defender this summer but told AFL.com.au his role in 2012 would depend on the situation the Power found themselves in.
"It'll be a real week-to-week thing and I'm sure there will be a lot of things looked at as far as who we're playing, match-ups and stuff like that," he said.
"I could be half-back one week, on the ball the next, wing after that, half-forward … who knows?"
"I'm sure Matty (Primus) will use me in whichever role he sees fit."
Related [ Brad Gotch analyses Pearce and the defenders ]
Pearce has struggled with the close attention brought by opposition taggers since winning the 2006 NAB AFL Rising Star award.
While the Power's backline coach Brad Gotch has said Pearce has worked solidly on the defensive side to his game, Pearce ruled out any chance of the tagger becoming the tag-ee in 2012.
"I tried a little bit of that last year on Cyril Rioli in the first quarter and you saw what he did to me," Pearce said of Port's round 21 clash with the Hawks in which Rioli kicked four first-quarter goals.
But the Power speedster was quick to dispute the argument that his career had plateaued since he broke onto opposition most-watched lists in 2006.
"A lot of people seem to think I'm an old, late-20s bloke; I'm only 25," he said.
"I definitely feel like I'm heading in an upward direction in terms of improvement and getting stronger, faster and bigger."
The Power's coaching staff have said the focus in 2012 will be an increased competitiveness and a more consistently competitive outfit.
Pearce went a step further though, labeling his side's 2011 campaign as 'embarrassing' and claiming he and his teammates wouldn't be satisfied until they played finals footy.
"I'm sure every team that wasn't playing in the finals felt it; it's almost a sickening feeling sitting at home watching it.
"That's where we want to be and anything below that is really going to be a kick in the teeth," he said.
Harry Thring covers Port Adelaide news for AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_Harry
