McGovern refreshed by switch to Blues

STAR Carlton recruit Mitch McGovern has revealed the pain of missing out on Adelaide’s 2017 grand final team played a part in his decision to walk out on the Crows.

McGovern joined the Blues during the trade period after he told Adelaide he wanted out with two years left on his contract.

The strong-marking forward was touch-and-go with a hamstring strain ahead of the 2017 premiership decider.

Coach Don Pyke erred on the side of caution, leaving him out of the line-up that lost to Richmond.

“That one hurt me a bit ... it’s not very often you get the opportunity to play in a grand final,” McGovern said yesterday. “So that one hurt me quite a bit and there was a bit of jealousy knowing that Jezza (brother Jeremy McGovern, West Coast) got to play in one and actually win one.

“That burnt me for a while, but I’m pretty sure I’ve sort of moved on from that.”

Pressed on whether the omission played a part in his decision to seek a trade, McGovern replied: “There’s areas of that, yeah, definitely.”

The 24-year-old admitted his departure from West Lakes had been difficult for both him and his family.

Feathers were ruffled when McGovern’s manager Colin Young revealed his player’s belief in where the club was going.

“It’s a difficult question to answer,” McGovern said.

“Obviously I don’t want to say what was going on behind the scenes at Adelaide, but the direction (concern) wasn’t a part of the talent or the footy ability of the group.

“For me it was more outside of those four walls and that’s something that’s personal to me and at this stage I’m not willing to speak about that if that’s all right.”

Young’s comments earned a stinging rebuke from Crows dual-premiership coach Malcolm Blight, who urged McGovern to be honest and say that he was looking for a more-lucrative deal.

“It hit a heart string for me — not just me but family as well — there was a lot going on personally,” McGovern said of Blight’s comments.