Sam McClure believes West Coast are not the only club in the running to recruit Adelaide’s Mitch McGovern should he not opt to sign on with the Crows, believing a number of Victorian clubs are interested in the tall forward.
The 22-year-old remains out-of-contract for next season, with the prevailing thought the forward is seeking a move back to his native Western Australia to link up with his brother Jeremy McGovern at the Eagles.
However McClure says the lure of a promising tall forward for many Victorian clubs, namely Carlton, means that a move back to Perth should he want to leave Adelaide is by no means a certainty.
“There are several clubs in the running for Mitch McGovern,” he said on SEN radio on Friday night.
“If you remember to late last year when Bryce Gibbs asked to go back home to Adelaide, the first player that (list manager) Stephen Silvagni wanted on the table was Mitch McGovern.
“Carlton are certainly one of those sides that are keeping a close eye on him.
“If he doesn’t recommit to Adelaide, I don’t think it is just going back to Perth, I think there is a big chance he could end up somewhere else.”
The journalist for The Age considers it unwise for the Crows to not bow down to any demands the exciting prospect has.
“At the end of the day I think it would be crazy not to pay him what he is worth, because from what we’ve seen, albeit limited, he looks like he is a really good player,” said McClure.
Five-time Hawthorn premiership winning forward Dermott Brereton shares this sentiment, believing the Crows require McGovern’s overhead marking ability in their forward structure.
“Without McGovern, they are a very poor overhead marking team in the forward line,” he said on SEN’s Crunch Time.
“They have (Josh) Jenkins up there who couldn’t mark his sheets at the moment. He is a very good player but he just can’t mark it above his head. Taylor Walker will not jump at the footy overhead, and when he does he puts up one hand and the second hand is a fend-off.
“If you have small players who are wanting to crumb you, you have to have at least somebody who can bring the ball front and centre when the opposition is nine times out of ten forcing you to kick 55 to 60 metres.”