It would be fair to say the 2019 season has not gone according to plan for Mitch McGovern after arriving from Adelaide in the 2018 trade period.

The trade saw Carlton part with pick 13 as part of the deal for the 24 year-old. But injury and form has restricted the forward to 14 games and a return of 19 goals at his new club.

Last month Coach David Teague was frank in his assessment. The Blues must take their fair share of blame for the output of their new recruit.

Embed from Getty Images

“He came in with two ankle operations and he broke his back, so he’s had a really interrupted pre-season. We probably rushed him in. We played him, understanding that he wasn’t quite ready to go with the hope that he’d perform.”

Mitch McGovern returns to the senior side

Not surprisingly, the interrupted preparation caught up with the forward whose inconsistent form led to his axing after the round 16 loss to Melbourne.

A five-week absence from AFL ranks saw Mitch McGovern complete a high intensity training block under High Performance Manager Andrew Russell.

Embed from Getty Images

Building fitness back to AFL level, the Western Australian earned an AFL recall against Richmond last Sunday.

It was not a spectacular return but McGovern did finish with two goals. The first time he had kicked multiple goals in a match since round eight.

Patience is a quality that many sport fans do not possess and given the cost to obtain the 24 year-old, the Blues fans are probably not doing cartwheels over the trade currently.

The next fortnight does however give Mitch McGovern a chance to finish the 2019 season off on a positive note and importantly set a foundation for a more positive impact next season.

Yep, just how they drew it up! Mitch McGovern gets it to go after coming off his line.#AFLTigersBlues pic.twitter.com/wsqC82HJB4 — AFL (@AFL) August 11, 2019

by Liam Sheedy – contributor

Follow on Facebook: Sheedy Says