Australian Football

Andrew McGovern made his senior league debut with Claremont in 1990, and the following year he played in the club’s winning grand final team against Subiaco. At the 1991 National Draft he was taken at selection four by Sydney but his two season stint in the Harbour City saw him fail to have an impact, and after 20 games and seven goals he was de-listed.

The 1994 season saw McGovern playing solely for Claremont again under his mentor Gerard Neesham. When Neesham took the helm at the fledgling Fremantle Football Club in 1995 few people would have been surprised to see McGovern following his coach.

If it was not exactly ‘a match made in heaven’ it was undoubtedly no coincidence that McGovern now entered the most productive phase of his career. A hard running, purposeful defender (he had been mainly used as a midfielder with Claremont) his style fitted neatly into the Dockers’ trademark ‘chip and draw’ style of play. With the exception of an injury-undermined 1996 season he averaged roughly 250 disposals per campaign. His four season stint with Freo saw him play 63 AFL games, booting just a couple of goals.

Between 1997 and 1999 McGovern’s WAFL affiliation was to Peel Thunder rather than Claremont, and he played a total of 21 games and kicked six goals for the club to add to the 68 games and 25 goals accrued with the Tigers.

Author - John Devaney