Mitch McGovern | 2021 Season Review

Written by Ari Stamatakos

SEASON SYNOPSIS

After an underwhelming season in 2020, that was plagued by injuries, he entered the 2021 season under the same injury cloud. Which left many fans frustrated, mainly due to the price tag that has been bestowed upon him. He returned in round 5 against Port Adelaide and played a game you would expect of someone who was coming back from a back injury.  After an underwhelming next two weeks, he went down again, this time with a hamstring injury - in a run-down tackle against The Bombers in round 7. He didn’t return until round 22, where he saw out the season, playing very modestly in both outings. 

A very frustrating year for Gov, he averaged 2.6 tackles, 7.6 effective disposals, 5.4 effective kicks and 3.2 inside 50’s - all ranking above average, inside 50’s which ranked elite. These stats are a perfect illustrations of his talents and why he is a good player. His ball skills for a forward are very good and he is athletic enough to get up the ground and work himself into good positions, as seen by his 4.8 marks and 7.8 uncontested possessions.

BEST PERFORMANCE

Gov didn’t have any standout performances in his 5-game season. But he proved to be a very reliable, consistent player who does his role very efficiently. He didn’t do anything flash or flamboyant to attract the eyes or plant his name on the headlines, so he does get slept on by the majority of fans. Kicking 6 goals from those 5 games, he pushed up the ground and acted as that connecter from half-forward to the forward 50, for which he is very good at due to his marking and field kicking ability. He struggled with continuity, a fair excuse for the lack of good game, especially from someone who has been battle injuries issues for the majority of his Carlton career.

OFF-SEASON & 2021 OUTLOOK

Gov has been really unlucky in recent times, he has been brutalised by very debilitating injuries and the unsympathetic nature of footy is punishing him for it. If he can stay fit over the off-season and have an uninterrupted pre-season, then we should be able to see a fully fit and firing Mitch McGovern for the Blues in 2022. How will he fit in with the returning Charlie Curnow, who knows? Teague is gone, so the three forward systems will not be in use. He is clearly the third rung below those two, and the likes of JSOS and TDK will be taking forward time away from him. It will be a very interesting pre-season for Mitch McGovern, and we will see where he fits in the Carlton side. 

2021 REPORT CARD RATING

C

STATUS HEADING INTO 2022 

Fringe Player.