Mitch McGovern Biography

Mitch McGovern signs a two-year contract extension to remain with the Blues until the end of 2025.

"Mitch has slotted seamlessly into the backline since making the move, his intercept marking and ball use have been terrific assets to the way we want to play," Carlton's head of list management Nick Austin said.

"We can't wait to see what the next two years hold for Mitch at the Blues as he continues to hone his defensive craft and take his game to another level."

Mitch McGovern will be out for three months after he re-aggravated a hamstring injury at training.

Mitch McGovern has been training with the Blues' backline this summer, playing an intercepting role during match simulation drills at Ikon Park.

After being asked to improved his fitness, Mitch McGovern is expected to return to football soon, with brother Jeremy urging the talented forward to use his time on the sidelines as a wake-up call.

"Mitch is a pretty honest bloke and he knows where he's at," Jeremy told ABC Grandstand.

"I went through a similar thing back in the day, it's part of the learning for him. Hopefully, he will look back on it as a penny drop moment and he will get himself right."

Mitch McGovern is dropped from Carlton's senior due to poor fitness levels.

The axed forward is set to be put through a gruelling training block under club fitness boss Andrew Russell, having struggled with his conditioning since arriving at the end of last season from Adelaide.

"He came in with two ankle operations and he broke his back, so he's had a really interrupted pre-season," Carlton caretaker coach David Teague said.

"We probably rushed him in. We played him, understanding that he wasn't quite ready to go with the hope that he'd perform.

"He's been pulling up quite sore after games. By taking him out, it's allowed him to get some really solid training in."

Carlton interim coach David Teague says Mitch McGovern has been playing a role if not getting big numbers.

The former Adelaide goalkicker has attracted criticism in his first season at Carlton, having booted just 17 goals in 12 games.

"He's been really good for us for periods this year. He's probably not performing at the level that he'd love to perform at, but while he's still playing a role for the team, he'll get a game," Teague said.

"He's got to continue to work on his fitness, work on his chemistry with the other guys around him and training hard. He probably hasn't been able to get out on the training track a lot this year because he's had a few injury issues and niggles.

"He's a very good player and what he brings in a leadership capacity is probably not seen to others, but he'll actually deliver a lot more over time. Carlton fans should be really excited for that, but just have to remain patient."

Mitch McGovern suffers a minor back fracture during a training incident as he was flying for a mark.

Scans revealed a small, non-displaced fracture in his lower back but the Blues are confident he won't miss much, if any, training after Christmas.

Carlton recruit Mitch McGovern admits it hurt to not have been picked for the Crows' 2017 Grand Final side.

"It's not very often you get the opportunity to play in a Grand Final, so that one hurt me quite a bit," McGovern said.

"There was a bit of jealousy knowing that Jezza (brother Jeremy McGovern) got to play in one and actually win one. So that burnt me for a while."

Mitch's brother Jeremy tasted the ultimate success again in 2018 as a premiership player for the Eagles.

"It was heart-warming for me to see him win on the day. But there was a lot of burning blood inside that he got that opportunity and ended up winning it," Mitch said.

"It gives me that drive to help this footy club get there."

Carlton recruit Mitch McGovern believes he plays his best football as a forward.

"The option to go forward or back can definitely help the footy team going forward, but I also think the marking ability I can threaten with in the air and on the lead (helps me play as a forward)," McGovern said.

Adelaide has been able to accommodate forward Mitch McGovern's wish to join Carlton with a trade officially finalised on Wednesday morning.

As part of a three-way deal, the Crows receive pick No. 13, a future fifth-round selection from Carlton and highly-rated Sturt forward Shane McAdam, who the Blues were able to claim as one of their mature-aged pre-draft access picks.

Carlton gains McGovern and a future third-round selection from Adelaide, while Sydney receives selections No. 26 and 28 from the Blues as well as No. 40 from the Crows.

Adelaide list manager Justin Reid says the club will play hardball with Carlton over a move for Mitch McGovern.

"We work hard to develop players and to get players to the club. We're not in the business of just letting players walk out of the footy club," Reid said.

"If we can get something done that is best for the club and the members, then we'll certainly look at it. But obviously he's still a contracted player as well."

Mitch McGovern is set to land at Ikon Park after completing a medical with Carlton and nominating the Blues as his preferred destination ahead of the 2018 NAB AFL Trade Period.

McGovern's manager Colin Young has denied his client requested a trade from the Crows for financial reasons.

"He's on a very good contract at the Crows, it's extremely good, so it's definitely not about money," Young said.

"His contract at Carlton will be much similar to the one he's on at Adelaide, so it's more about the postcode and where he wants to live."

Mitch McGovern's manager Colin Young cites Adelaide's turbulent 2018 season as the reason his contracted client is seeking a trade from the club.

"Twelve months ago when Mitchell signed he obviously had a belief and thoughts on where the club was going over the journey," Young said on NAB AFL Trade Radio.

"During the 12 months since he signed, the club's been on a bit of a rollercoaster so Mitch had been having meetings regularly on where he thought the club was going.

"To Don's credit, at the end of the season they had a fairly lengthy meeting, they both agreed Mitch probably wasn't the fit for the Crows."

Adelaide coach Don Pyke remains vague on the reasons Mitch McGovern has requested a trade from the Crows and says the club is prepared to keep him if a successful trade cannot be arranged.

"He feels it's not the best place for him to play his footy," Pyke said.

"There's a number of reasons and factors, and I won't go into detail, that I spoke to about with Mitch. Some of those are historical, some of those are environmental.

"That's it, it's his personal view ... and clearly if we can't get a deal done we'll have to work through some of those issues to make sure he's able to perform the way we know he's capable of."

Adelaide chief executive Andrew Fagan says the Crows are open to Mitch McGovern remaining at the club if the right deal can't be struck.

"The duty we've now got is to do the best possible thing we can for the football club to explore whether we can look at this year's draft and bring in someone, or a group of people, who can make us better," Fagan told Triple M Adelaide.

"If this can assist us in doing so, then we will, but if we can't, Mitch understands he's still got two years left on a contract so it might be something that gets parked for a while."

Jeremy McGovern says he would love to play alongside his brother, Mitch McGovern, after the Adelaide forward requested a trade following the end of the Crows' 2018 season.

"I'd love him to come back, I've told him that. So he knows that, but it's up to him at the end of the day," Jeremy said.

"It's Mitch's decision and his career. I'm there for him with whatever he needs, but I'm not having too much input. It's up to him."

Mitch McGovern requests a trade from Adelaide despite still being contracted until 2020.

"We are open-minded and happy to explore the options available with Mitch and his manager," Adelaide football manager Brett Burton said.

"However, the needs of the club will be held as a high priority in any possible negotiation, especially given he is a contracted player."

With Adelaide's season done, Mitch McGovern will undergo a minor arthroscopic procedure on both ankles.

Despite having signed a three-year contract extension at the end of 2017, there is strong speculation McGovern could request a trade from the Crows.

"I walk around in the world like everyone else and generally where there is smoke, there is fire," Crows coach Don Pyke said last week.

"I can only expect there is some information through him or management he is not happy here at times."

Adelaide coach Don Pyke expects Mitch McGovern to remain at the club next season, knocking on the head rumours the forward would seek a trade at the end of the year.

McGovern has struggled with injury and form in a highly interrupted 2018 season.

"I expect him to be here next season, I haven't heard anything further on that," Pyke said.

"The reality is for him, it's about getting some games under his belt, getting his match conditioning and form back to a point where he can contribute the way we know he can."

Mitch McGovern slots straight back into the Crows' senior side after spending 10 weeks on the sidelines due to a serious ankle injury.

"Mitch has done everything we've asked of him of late, especially his last couple of weeks, in regards to his training," Crows assistant coach Ben Hart said.

"We're really confident he'll come in and have an impact for us."

Jeremy McGovern says the lure of playing with his brother Mitch McGovern will not influence his decision on his next contract.

"We're not going to manipulate anything to try and play with each other. We can play together after our footy career is over back down in Albany," Jeremy said while denying media reports that Mitch would seek a trade from the Crows at the end of 2018.

"Mitch is in contract (until 2020) and the last I spoke to him he was enjoying it at Adelaide – I don't know where all that stuff came from."

Mitch McGovern backs his brother, Jeremy McGovern, in deciding to put off contract talks until the end of the season.

"Smart man, I did it last year," Mitch said.

"Just put it on the backburner, focus on your footy. Let people behind the scenes deal with it and you show what you're made of. It's a better way to do it."

Mitch admitted to enjoying the idea of playing with his brother at Adelaide.

"It would be very nice to play with him," Mitch said.

"I've been in his ear, but I'm not too sure what he's going to do."

Mitch McGovern fails in his bid to make the Adelaide squad to play in the 2017 Grand Final against Richmond.

McGovern completed about 45 minutes of the Crows' 90-minute open training session at Adelaide Oval on Wednesday morning before skipping the last two drills.

Crows vice-captain Rory Sloane says Mitch McGovern will have to pass Wednesday's main training session with flying colours before he's cleared for Saturday's Grand Final against Richmond at the MCG.

"He's got nothing to lose," Sloane said.

"He either gets up and plays or he doesn't, so we'll give him every chance, and I'm positive we'll see him train tomorrow."

Mitch McGovern is likely to miss Adelaide's preliminary final clash against Geelong with a sore hamstring, but the Crows are hopeful he will recover in time should they make it past the Cats.

"The (scan) results are more favourable than we probably thought," Crows assistant coach David Teague said.

"We're very, very hopeful that if it's not this week, then it will be next week that he can get up."

Mitch McGovern opens up about the stress he was under before signing a three-year contract extension with the Crows.

"My face was being shown, not only here, but in WA every second day, and it started to bear a bit of a burden on me, especially with family members and other people outside the footy club," McGovern said.

"It put a big cloud above my head with everything I did.

"I always wanted to stay at the footy club, it just took a bit longer than expected to reach terms."

Mitch McGovern re-signs with the Crows for three years, extending his contract until the end of 2020.

It was a major coup for the Crows to lock in the 22-year-old on the eve of the finals after drawn-out negotiations to retain the high marking youngster.

McGovern was reported to have attracted interest from Fremantle who were keen to lure the West Australian back to his home state.

"I love the playing group I’m playing with, but also the staff and everyone involved," McGovern said.

"The culture is fantastic here. It’s one of the best-run clubs that I can see and I’m glad to be a part of it.

"I’m pretty excited for the future ahead."

Mitch McGovern takes a spectacular pack mark and kicks a goal after the siren to give the Crows a dramatic draw against Collingwood after Adelaide had trailed by as much as 50 points in the third quarter.

Mitch McGovern will make his comeback from a hamstring tendon injury this week against Carlton at the MCG.

Adelaide assistant coach David Teague says the club will expect the young forward to be at his explosive best.

"We want him launching at marks, we want him chasing down guys, we want him tackling, his pressure, his speed," Crows assistant coach David Teague said.

"If he's doing those things, then we know he's going to be playing his role for the team."

With the collective bargaining agreement finally signed off, Adelaide will ramp up efforts to re-sign out-of-contract stars Jake Lever and Mitch McGovern.

"It gives that certainty, we know what we're dealing with," Crows coach Don Pyke said.

"Both those guys have indicated a really strong desire to stay, we'll keep working with them to try and finalise something."

Mitch McGovern will be sidelined for up to three months with a torn hamstring, but Crows medical staff are hopeful he can be back within eight weeks.

"Mitch has progressed really well in the early stages of his rehab and will spend about two months on the sidelines," Crows general manager of high performance Matt Hass said.

Mitch McGovern will see a specialist this week to determine if he requires surgery for a serious hamstring injury that could sideline him for an extended period.

"Unfortunately, scans have revealed a fairly significant amount of damage," high performance manager Matt Hass said.

"Across the rest of this week, we’ll consult specialists and come up with a plan of action.

"It’s fair to say, he will spend a period of time on the sidelines."

Adelaide is bracing to lose emerging forward Mitch McGovern for a chunk of the season after the young forward is feared to have suffered serious damage to his hamstring tendon against Port Adelaide.

Tom Lynch says he is confident Crows teammate and fellow forward Mitch McGovern will remain at the club beyond 2017 despite speculation of a return to Western Australia.

"I think the reason he is being spoken about is the year he had last year. He's turned himself into a quality player," Lynch said.

"He should take some confidence in knowing he's getting spoken about, but we're pretty confident we can keep him here.

"He's turned himself into a really important part of our team and I'm looking forward to seeing how he goes this year."

Jeremy McGovern says he would love for brother Mitch McGovern to return to Western Australia.

Speculation is rife that Mitch could seek a move home to play for the Eagles or Fremantle following reports he has delayed contract talks with the Crows.

"I actually don't think we've ever played together. He's my brother, so I would love to play with him," Jeremy McGovern said.

"I'll let him know that I'm pretty keen to play with him for sure, but at the end of the day it's his career, it's up to him."

Mitch burst onto the scene in a potent Adelaide forward line last year, booting 32 majors from 23 games – including both of the Crows' finals – after making his debut in round one.

"I wasn't too surprised," Jeremy said of his brother's maiden season.

"I've watched him obviously since he was a little fella and I've always thought he had pretty good talent.

"I thought he was pretty unlucky in his first year to miss out on the draft."

Mitch McGovern makes his AFL debut for Adelaide at Docklands Stadium with 9 disposals (7 kicks and 2 handballs), 5 marks and 3 tackles in a 10-point loss to North Melbourne.

Adelaide youngster Mitch McGovern has signed a new one-year contract extension which will keep him at the Crows until the end of 2017 at least.

“There’s a fantastic group of boys here and I’m loving every moment that I’m at the club,” he said.

“It’s a bit of a stress-reliever (getting my contract done now), and I’ve got nothing to worry about now for the next year-and-a-bit.

“It just gives you time to focus on your footy and have a bit of fun while you’re here as well.”

Crows draftee Mitch McGovern hopes to follow in the footsteps of his brother, Jeremy McGovern, who made his debut in 2014 for West Coast this year, playing 13 games.

"Just seeing the path that Jeremy has taken, it's helped me a lot," McGovern said.

"I know what to expect now and it just makes the AFL environment a lot more comfortable.

"Jeremy has always just said to be myself; don't try to change who you are and always just try your best in everything."

Adelaide select Mitch McGovern from Claremont with pick No.43 in the 2014 NAB AFL Draft.

"He's a utility size at 192cm, who can play at both ends. He is a powerful guy in that 19-20-year-old bracket and gives us versatility," Adelaide list manager David Noble said.