If the Simpson era needed the curtain to drop in an appropriate fashion it came last night when Jeremy McGovern was crowned as the 2024 John Worsfold medallist.

There were many fine players who excelled under the reign of Adam Simpson. All of them, except McGovern, Josh Kennedy and Shannon Hurn (runner-up in 2022) had seen their names inscribed on the Club Champion honour board.

That McGovern should last night stand on the stage at Crown’s Grand Ballroom, the toast of the Eagles’ inner sanctum as the 26^th individual to be afforded the gong, was beyond fitting.

McGovern had been elevated to the club’s senior list in the month’s leading into the arrival of rookie coach Simpson in the summer of 2013 and as one of the younger players was among the first group to begin pre-season training.

It was a running/skills session at McGillivray Oval and it’s fair to assume McGovern had spent his holiday time holidaying. He was not in the shape required to train to elite standards and was tailed off in the running drills.

My memory may fail here, but the recollection is that he struggled in the two kilometre time trial. What does not fail me is recounting Simpson’s reaction. It’s something that is ingrained and those words are undoubtedly forged in McGovern’s mind too.

‘We might be mates one day, but not right now,” Simpson barked. After that session he assigned development coach Mark Nicoski the task of getting McGovern into shape. 

McGovern embarked on a six-week program to get himself into the condition required to train at the highest level. That demonstration of tough love and Gov’s response saw the pair form a special coach-player bond.

So much so that McGovern would debut in round six of Simpson’s first season at the helm, against Carlton at Etihad Stadium. After being dropped for the next game, he resumed in round 12 against Hawthorn in Launceston.

That was when he announced himself as an AFL player. Lining up at centre half-forward he had 15 possessions, took 10 marks and kicked two goals.

He would transition into one of the great key defenders of his time, but to that point McGovern had been a forward-ruck. When the Eagles played in the 2015 grand final against Hawthorn he started at centre half-back, perhaps morphing into that role out of necessity because several key defenders including Eric Mackenzie and Mitch Brown were out for the season before the quarter-time siren had sounded in round one.

Regardless of the circumstances McGovern found his football niche in defence where he was able to utilise his major attributes to stunning effect. So clean in the air and able to read the play to the extent that he was two steps ahead of the game he was an intercept weapon.

That ability was underlined when four years in succession, from 2016 to 2019, he was selected in the all-Australian team.

He was, of course, a key pillar in the 2018 premiership. That he was able to play at all was quite remarkable because he went into the game with fractured ribs, the result of an errant knee from a Melbourne opponent in the preliminary final.

The club sought to excuse McGovern from the Grand Final parade on the eve of the game, but the AFL insisted he attend. He was rushed from the team hotel, where he was receiving treatment from club medical staff, to join the motorcade moments before it set in motion.

That was not the first time McGovern demonstrated an abnormal capacity to push through the pain barrier. And to add another dimension to his heroic story he was then involved in the match-winning passage of play.

Taking a trademark intercept mark in the back pocket, he transferred the ball with a chiselling and risky kick to ruckman Nathan Vardy. In turn he sent the ball down the wing to Liam Ryan, who landed like a cat and kicked it inside 50 to Dom Sheed.

The lithe left-footer then sent a dart through the middle that gave the Eagles the lead – and ultimately the premiership. There were many courageous players that day, but none more than McGovern.

The last few years have been tough on the big man, but this year he returned to his best. He was recognised with a fifth all-Australian blazer and last night came the crowning glory as he joined contemporaries Andrew Gaff, Luke Shuey, Elliott Yeo, Nic Naitanui, Tom Barrass and Tim Kelly as a Club Champion.

Regardless of what happens from here the transition one of football's rough diamonds into a precious gem is complete.