Four-time All-Australian defender Jeremy McGovern has expressed his eagerness to help mentor and guide the flock of new West Coast Eagles recruits.
A boost of energetic youngsters arrived at the club in the off-season and McGovern said he and his more experienced teammates are enjoying the change of pace.
“I’ve loved it, I think it’s been great,” McGovern said.
“I’ve got three kids, but now I feel like I’ve got 20 at the moment, they’re all young lads and they’re all rippers.
“So I’ve really liked it, I’ve really liked the change of all the young boys coming in and I’m more than happy to help.
“That’s part of your role as you get older, you just want to help develop these young boys and leave the club in a better place.
“I’ve really enjoyed it, and I know a lot of the other senior boys have as well and we’ll do everything we can to educate them and support them as much as we can, I’m excited about it.”
Young defender Brady Hough has evolved his game and his body at an impressive rate since his arrival at the club, and McGovern said he’s proud of Hough’s development and work in the backline.
“It’s been great, I absolutely love ‘Houghy’,” McGovern said.
“He’s a ripping young kid, when he first got here, he was like a toothpick, but he’s filled out to a really good size at the moment, he’s developing really well, and this will just add another string to his bow.
“He can play on the smalls, and if he can contribute with the tall side of things, it makes him very hard to replace, and I’m pretty proud of the way he’s attacked his footy since he got here.”
Last Friday saw the Eagles face Adelaide in the AAMI Community Series in their final pre-season hitout, and despite the result finishing in the Crow’s favour, McGovern said the team got a lot out of the game.
“It’s good to be back into it and having a hitout,” McGovern said.
“Adelaide is only a short trip for us, so it wasn’t too bad.
“We got a lot out of the game as well, as a group, and it was good to have a hitout against some quality opposition.”
Spending some precautionary time on the sidelines recently with groin soreness, McGovern said he’s feeling great and ready for round one.
“They’re all good, it was just a bit of precaution,” McGovern said.
“Obviously the last couple of years I haven’t played the amount of footy that I would have liked so we were just taking it easy and making sure I’m ready for round one, but they felt really comfortable on the weekend.
“I feel great, I feel really strong and ready to attack the year, but injuries happen, no matter how much work you put in sometimes, but I feel like I’ve done everything I can to try and stay out on the footy field as long as possible.”
West Coast are set to kick off their 2024 campaign against Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval on Sunday, March 17th.
“We’ve had a little bit of a look (at Port), this week has probably been a little more about us and getting ourselves right, and early next week we will really dig into them,” McGovern said.
“But we’ve had a little bit of a look and luckily enough some of the coaches were over there and got to watch their practice match as well.
“They’re a great side, great forward line, they’ve got great lines everywhere really, they’re a great side, so it will be a big challenge for us.”
