Mitch McGovern requests a trade from Adelaide to Carlton

ADELAIDE forward Mitch McGovern has nominated Carlton as his preferred destination and his manager has explained why he wants to join this year’s wooden spooner.

Adelaide’s Mitch McGovern. Picture: Michael Klein

IT’S OFFICIAL: Adelaide’s Mitch McGovern is headed to Carlton.

As the Herald Sun reported on Tuesday, the forward has nominated the Blues as his preferred destination and has held meetings with the club yesterday and today.

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“He had a medical with the Carlton Football Club yesterday and it went fairly well and I know he’s had a meeting this morning or is about to have a meeting so Carlton’s his choice,” McGovern’s manager Colin Young said.

“We’ll be trying to work with the Adelaide Crows and Carlton to find a suitable trade for him.”

Young said there were a range of reasons why the Blues were a good fit and McGovern, 23, believed he could help the club climb back up the ladder as a key component in a developing forward line.

“Firstly, he loves an assistant coach there, David Teague, who he had at the Crows, they’ve got a really, really strong relationship so that was a big tick for Mitch,” Young said on SEN radio.

Mitch McGovern has requested a trade to Carlton. Picture: Michael Klein

“He’s got a great belief in his coaching style. Secondly, the Carlton list, it’s a very young list and he believes he can grow with those big forwards down there obviously being (Charlie) Curnow and (Harry) McKay who are only 21, 20.

“He believes, professionally, in the next two or three years with him down forward that he’ll make a difference and bring Carlton back to where they should be as an elite club in the AFL.”

Young said there was “a lot of reasons” McGovern had chosen to leave Adelaide despite signing a new contract just last year, with the failed pre-season camp “a little bit of that”.

The contract with the Blues will be “something between three and five years”, Young said, with an offer expected to be finalised and announced today.

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