| Jeremy McGovern | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 McGovern playing for West Coast in July 2019 | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Jeremy Ronald McGovern | ||
| Born | (1992-04-15)15 April 1992 (age 33) Sydney, New South Wales | ||
| Original team | Claremont Football Club | ||
| Draft | No. 44,2011 rookie draft,West Coast | ||
| Height | 197 cm (6 ft 6 in) | ||
| Weight | 99 kg (218 lb) | ||
| Position | Key defender | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 2011–2025 | West Coast | 197 (38) | |
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2025. | |||
| Career highlights | |||
| |||
| Sources:AFL Tables,AustralianFootball.com | |||
Jeremy Ronald McGovern (born 15 April 1992) is a formerAustralian rules footballer who played for theWest Coast Eagles in theAustralian Football League (AFL). He was a tall key-position player who spent most of his career as a defender, although he occasionally played forward.
McGovern was recruited from theClaremont Football Club with the 44th pick in the2011 Rookie Draft. He was something of a late bloomer, only making his senior debut for West Coast midway through the2014 season (aged 22). McGovern has been a fixture in the Eagles' line-up since then, and in 2015 played inthe grand final loss toHawthorn. He was named as a defender in the2016,2017,2018,2019, and2024 All-Australian teams, entrenching himself as one of the best key defenders in the league.
McGovern was born in Sydney, New South Wales while fatherAndrew McGovern was playing forSydney in the early 90s. The family moved over to West Australia in 1993 after Andrew was delisted and eventually played forFremantle. His younger brotherMitch plays forCarlton.[1][2]
As a child, McGovern spent four years living inWarburton, a remote community in theGibson Desert where his father was working for theClontarf Foundation. He later spent time inKalgoorlie andAlbany, attendingNorth Albany Senior High School.[1] McGovern played his junior football for theNorth Albany Football Club, in the same teams as two other future AFL players –Josh Bootsma andMarley Williams.[3] He playedWAFL colts forClaremont in 2010, as a ruckman.[4]
McGovern was drafted by the Eagles with the 44th pick in the2011 Rookie Draft (held in late 2010).[5] He was elevated to the senior list in November 2013.[6] In late 2013, McGovern showed up for pre-season training significantly overweight, after a holiday to Thailand. He was "banished" from the club and told to pursue an individual training routine if he wished to continue his career, eventually losing 10 kg and regaining the trust of the coaching staff.[7]
In his fourth year on West Coast's playing list, McGovern finally made his senior debut for the club in round six of the2014 season, againstCarlton atEtihad Stadium.[6] He was dropped for the next game, but returned in round twelve againstHawthorn as a like-for-like replacement forJosh Kennedy (who had a fractured cheekbone).[8] McGovern kicked 10 goals across the next four games, and held his spot for the rest of the year. Overall he managed 13 games in 2014, playing predominantly as a swingman in a similar vein to howAdam Hunter was used underJohn Worsfold.
In 2015, McGovern emerged as one of the best contested marks in the game as a result of West Coast's considerable injury list. Injuries toEric MacKenzie andMitch Brown meant McGovern was forced back into a key defender role.[9] He performed it with aplomb despite often being undersized and inexperienced compared to some of the best forwards in the game. He emerged as a reliable mark, often going back with the flight of the ball into packs to influence the contest, and he was rewarded with a position in the 40-manAll-Australian squad (although he did not make the final team).[10]
In 2016, after a career-best season, McGovern was named as a defender in the2016 All-Australian team. He was the first Eagles key defender to make the team sinceDarren Glass in 2011.[11] McGovern set a new overall record for the most contested intercept marks in a season, and recorded the equal-most marks from opposition kicks in 2016 (alongsideEaston Wood).[12]
In July 2018, McGovern signed a five-year contract extension with West Coast reportedly worth$5 million.[13] Many clubs were interested in recruiting him, including Fremantle,[14]St Kilda[15] and Sydney.[16] In the West Coast game against Port Adelaide on Saturday 11 August 2018, McGovern kicked a goal after the siren to win the game for the West Coast Eagles.[17]
In Round 23, 2018, McGovern broke the record for most intercept marks in a season by taking his 77th of 2018. The record was previously held by Easton Wood of the Western Bulldogs at 76 and was set in 2015.[18]
2024 would be a successful season for McGovern as he achieved his fifthAll Australian selection, his first in five years, and his first everJohn Worsfold Medal as the West Coast Eagles Best & Fairest for season 2024.
After sustaining a concussion in West Coast's Round 8, 2025 game against Melbourne, McGovern consulted an AFL Concussion Panel.[19] The panel recommended his retirement, which he and the Eagles announced on 20 June 2025.[20]
G | Goals | K | Kicks | D | Disposals | T | Tackles |
B | Behinds | H | Handballs | M | Marks | ||
# | Played in that season's premiership team |
| Season | Team | No. | Games | Totals | Averages (per game) | Votes | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | B | K | H | D | M | T | G | B | K | H | D | M | T | |||||
| 2014 | West Coast | 42 | 13 | 13 | 6 | 114 | 46 | 160 | 84 | 18 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 8.8 | 3.5 | 12.3 | 6.5 | 1.4 | 0 |
| 2015 | West Coast | 20 | 20 | 3 | 2 | 159 | 110 | 269 | 109 | 24 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 8.0 | 5.5 | 13.5 | 5.5 | 1.2 | 2 |
| 2016 | West Coast | 20 | 22 | 3 | 5 | 239 | 100 | 339 | 137 | 32 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 10.9 | 4.5 | 15.4 | 6.2 | 1.5 | 2 |
| 2017 | West Coast | 20 | 24 | 10 | 14 | 266 | 135 | 401 | 192 | 43 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 11.1 | 5.6 | 16.7 | 8.0 | 1.8 | 3 |
| 2018# | West Coast | 20 | 24 | 6 | 2 | 259 | 97 | 356 | 169 | 31 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 10.8 | 4.0 | 14.8 | 7.0 | 1.3 | 6 |
| 2019 | West Coast | 20 | 23 | 1 | 1 | 242 | 101 | 343 | 164 | 36 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 10.5 | 4.4 | 14.9 | 7.1 | 1.6 | 0 |
| 2020[a] | West Coast | 20 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 114 | 43 | 157 | 72 | 14 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 9.5 | 3.6 | 13.1 | 6.0 | 1.2 | 2 |
| 2021 | West Coast | 20 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 196 | 50 | 246 | 111 | 15 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 13.1 | 3.3 | 16.4 | 7.4 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2022 | West Coast | 20 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 111 | 53 | 164 | 67 | 12 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 11.1 | 5.3 | 16.4 | 6.7 | 1.2 | 2 |
| 2023 | West Coast | 20 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 110 | 42 | 152 | 64 | 9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 12.2 | 4.7 | 16.9 | 7.1 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2024 | West Coast | 20 | 19 | 1 | 2 | 290 | 102 | 392 | 114 | 27 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 15.3 | 5.3 | 20.6 | 6.0 | 1.4 | 0 |
| 2025 | West Coast | 20 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 73 | 34 | 107 | 30 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 12.2 | 5.7 | 17.8 | 5.0 | 1.0 | |
| Career | 197 | 38 | 32 | 2173 | 913 | 3086 | 1313 | 267 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 11.0 | 4.6 | 15.6 | 6.7 | 1.4 | 17 | ||
Notes
