With the dust still settling on Adelaide’s disastrous AFL season, young star Mitch McGovern has requested a trade away from the troubled club.
The 23-year-old strong-marking forward, who still has two years to run on his current contract, informed the Crows he wants out on Tuesday.
“We are open minded and happy to explore the options available with Mitch and his manager,” football boss Brett Burton said.
“However, the needs of the club will be held as a high priority in any possible negotiation, especially given he is a contracted player.”
McGovern signed a three-year contract last year that was met with much fanfare, but it has been widely reported he became unsettled at the club that has fallen from last year’s grand final to 12th spot this season.
The Crows have strenuously denied claims the Western Australian was headed for the exit at West Lakes amid reports he wasn’t happy with the deal he signed after the club lured big fish Bryce Gibbs from Carlton.
McGovern’s older brother Jeremy signed a multi-million dollar, long-term deal to remain with West Coast this year.
Mitch is understood to be close with Charlie Cameron and Jake Lever, who bolted for Brisbane and Melbourne respectively at the end of last season.
If McGovern gets his wish he will join that pair and a number of other star players to depart the club in recent years.
Patrick Dangerfield, Kurt Tippett, Nathan Bock, Phil Davis and Jack Gunston are all either playing elsewhere or retired after starting their careers with the Crows.
Adelaide were wracked by injuries and the ongoing fallout from their ill-advised pre-season camp this season, which followed on from their grand final loss to Richmond.
The Gold Coast camp has been described as cult-like and psychologically-distressing for players, some of whom are believed to still require counselling.
It is unknown if the camp, run without a certified psychologist present, played a part in McGovern’s decision to quit.
The Crows will look to make the most of the highly-sought forward’s decision.
He could command two first-round draft picks in a potential trade, with wooden-spooners Carlton understood to be circling.
Adelaide are likely to hold three top-20 draft picks before McGovern’s departure and should add to that bounty as they look to snare home-grown talents Jack Lukosiuos or Izak Rankine at the coming draft.
Pedro The Fisherman
Roar Rookie
What? New to the game? The players you have mentioned as leaving (Henderson, Wright, Kerridge, Lyons, Mattner, ...) are pretty much fringe players at their new clubs. Every club cuts and trades players like that.
Pedro The Fisherman
Roar Rookie
Pretty sure Adelaide will take the latter offer if Pick 50 plus some rubbish is the best offer from Carlton. I doubt McGovern will end up at Carlton at all and there are plenty of other suitors willing to pay a fair price for a 23 year old contracted player with electric pace and sticky fingers.
Fat Toad
Roar Rookie
It doesn't have to be everyone going. Secondly, that would make no sense in relation to the suspected problems of bullying or intimidation at the Crows, there have to be a few dominating personalities that think its great.
Lamby
Roar Rookie
Chis Judd cost a 1st rounder (pick 3), a 2nd rounder (20) AND JOSH KENNEDY (with pick 40 going back). So Judd cost Carlton MORE than a #1 draft pick. The stats say he is worth about pick 10-15. So the Crows would need to throw in one of their 1st round picks as well to get pick 1.
Peter the Scribe
Roar Guru
Trying to find some kind of link to this article, so let's say off season player movement, does anyone have updates on Gaff and Polec? last I heard North are getting them both and it now seems a real possibility Freo will lose Neale.
Fat Toad
Roar Rookie
After reading about Brian Taylor's comments about Jake Lever leaving in 2017 and finding a similar article on the wwos site from last year in relation to the behaviour of Walker, Brett Burton, and Don Pyke it think that it is clear that the problem is one of leadership and culture. Adelaide has already benefited from players that want to return to their home state and will probably continue to do so. For the senior people in the club to bully someone who has a reason to want to return to their own home is not only blatantly hypocritical, it demonstrates that they do not understand how leadership works in a competitive market. The portable a person is the more you lead with their permission. If they become sufficiently disenchanted with a leader permission is withdrawn and typically so is their labour. The story of how they managed Lever's exit is concerning but to repeat the same mistakes the very next year with McGovern in less than 12 months demonstrates an inability to learn from your mistakes at the level where you should not be in charge of any organisation. Inability to learn from experience suggests the Crows poor performances in key games and this season are not bad luck symptoms of a greater and more entrenched problem.
Col from Brissie
Roar Guru
Nick, from what I have heard he wanted more money before re-signing but Crows told him that they had no more money to give him so he signed for what they offered. Not long after they signed Gibbs on more money than they signed McGovern for. I think that pi$$ed him off.
Nick
Roar Rookie
Do players only sign contracts so their managers can earn a commission? Why sign when 6 months later you want out? May as well put them on a yearly one. Poor supporters go through the highs of a re-signing only for the player to leave not long after.
Ditto
Roar Rookie
I don't know where this 'desperate for pick one' comes from, I assume it's a reference to Jack Lukosius, but all I have heard is that they rate Lukosius higher than Rankine, but every draft ranking that I have seen puts Lukosius higher than Rankine. I think they will try to push up the draft by bundling picks and pick what they think is best fit for the picks they have. If you can point me some where that indicates desperation then I will read it.
Macca
Roar Rookie
We'll still have Walsh, so what difference does it make to us?
Amery Frend
Roar Rookie
The Gov is a gun when he's happy and fit. I think getting Lukusious may be a bit much but I wonder if he can help land Rankine. The Crows even struggle to retain alot of their depth or fringe players. Actually just all players. Grigg was pretty good for us why cut him? Henderson, Wright, Kerridge, JARRYD LYONS:(, Mattner anyone? Scott welsh if we dig some more, Bernie Vince? Ripping him away from his best mate the texan? (but for Matt Crouch with insurance you lil' rippa) And now we cut our first 2 father sons (I think Jackson Edwards probably should have got another year) :-\ Ive loved the crows so much since I was a little tacker but somethings wrong in the old boys club(literally? The whole department?) I for one hope and pray to the footy gods, I say exodus, because the reality is, it's time to play hard ball and attain a warchest to attack a bountiful draft for SA footy!
Pedro The Fisherman
Roar Rookie
Sloane is the only coupe? Really? So players like Lynch, Crouch and Laird re-signing are not a positive for Adelaide? Seedsman? McKay? Douglas? ... all (and more) signed on for more in 2018 ... but hey, there is no story in that. That doesn't fit your narrative.
Pedro The Fisherman
Roar Rookie
OK - we will sell him elsewhere. Lukosius will be home in a couple of years anyway!
Jonboy
Roar Rookie
A lot of good judges rate Rankine way better than Walsh.
Jack
Guest
I would go Casboult and priority pick for broadie and scrimshaw wouldn’t bother with McGovern
Fat Toad
Roar Rookie
I agree there is something about Adelaide. From outside it is hard to put your finger on it but there is something about their culture that has left me with a feeling that all is not quite right. [I used to have the same sort discomfort about James Hird, even though I liked much about him and was in awe of his skills, there was always something in the back of my mind that I could not place.]
Wise Old Elf
Guest
Carlton should return the Eddie Betts treatment. Give them pick 50 and a couple of reserves, say Jesse Glass Mc and Jed Lamb to sweeten the deal for the pack of bludgers. Really, Crows should get nothing but a big EFF U.
User
Roar Rookie
This kind of reminds me of the Judd trade except Adelaide are desperate for pick one so Carlton hold the aces, this is the way the blues could get both gov and Shiel agreed and if gov is played fwd he can relieve the pressure on Curnow and McKay or if transformed into a defender he would quickly become a elite intercepter.
Macca
Roar Rookie
Not sure we are going to get McGovern and 2 first rounders, although it depends a lot on which first rounders, for pick 1 but I could see something like Pick 1 for McGovern and pck 8 with pick 8 going to GWS for Shiel.
User
Roar Rookie
I still think Melbourne is the team most likely to get gaff but there is no way gaff is only worth a compo pick likely to be 20, a trade has to be made and can't really name anything in Melbourne list that suits wce, but a four team trade helps every side involved.