Coaching
There was always speculation Pearce would coach Balmain after his retirement, and he did so after the sacking of controversially appointed former union coach Alan Jones at the end of 1993 after three disappointing seasons. Owing to the clubs significant financial problems, Pearce was never able to bring Balmain back to prominence, and as a result of the pressure resulting from the Super League war between 1995 and 1997, they were forced to merge with Wests after the 1999 season. Pearce coached the Wests Tigers through their inaugural year, but unfortunately, the stress involved led him to stand down from club coaching commitments.
Pearce also coached NSW, and in 2000 the Blues beat Queensland 3-0 which included the largest ever win in State of Origin history in Game 3 of the 2000 series, which NSW won 56-16. This resulted in Pearce becoming the only person to ever Captain and Coach a 3-0 series whitewash.
Read more about this topic: Wayne Pearce