"I played in Team B [in the practice match] last week and thought 'oh yeah, I don't know how I'll go'," Pearce said.

"But I played well last week and Thorpy [coach Mitch Thorp] told me last night with all the boys which was pretty exciting."

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A tall, shutdown defender, the 21-year-old arrived at Launceston late last year boasting an impressive NTFA resume.

After being named South Launceston's under-18 captain for the 2017 season, Pearce took just three games to break into the senior team and held down his spot to become the Bulldogs' youngest premiership player that year.

He added another flag in 2018 and played 14 games last season before opting to test himself out in the State League.

"It's pretty difficult [making the switch from NTFA] - they're not completely different, but there's a big change with professionalism and all that sort of stuff," Pearce said.

"But the guys at Launny are really good and inclusive and you feel like part of them straight away which is good, and having a few boys I've played with before there was pretty exciting as well.

"I played at Launny when I was under-9s and 10s and I played with Jacob Boyd and Miller Hodge and all those guys back when we were little whippets running around at 10 years old."

Pearce credits teammate and fellow Kings Meadows High School alumni Grant Holt with helping him make the transition to State League.

"Grant was the one that made me come over really, I was always on the edge but Grant said 'come along and have a crack'," Pearce said.

"I played with Grant in juniors and then we played together at school as well, so it's pretty exciting to play with him at the best level in the state."

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Tickets have sold out for Launceston's round one trip to Glenorchy, which shapes as an intriguing rematch of last year's semi-final.

Despite the limitations, Pearce has managed to get a whole support crew - including his parents, girlfriend and girlfriend's parents - in to watch his debut.

"It is a little bit of extra pressure but at the end of the day once I get out there I'll be fine, I'll just play footy," he said.

Outside of football, he is juggling a teaching degree with working as a teacher's assistant at Kings Meadows.

"It's good to be back working at the school I went to," he said.

"I'm in the staff room with a few of my old teachers which is a bit weird, but it's pretty fun at the same time."