The future of West Coast Eagles legend Jeremy McGovern’s playing career is up in the air right now. The club spilled the beans that he’ll be chatting with the AFL’s concussion panel due to “ongoing symptoms” following a nasty knock he took against Melbourne on May 3. McGovern, who’s 33 years old, got bumped into a marking contest by Jake Melksham towards the end of the second quarter in the Eagles’ round eight loss to Melbourne. This caused him to crash into Demon Harrison Petty, leaving him feeling pretty out of it. He toughed it out for a bit before getting subbed out and put into the league’s “concussion protocols”, forcing him to sit out the next game.
He’s missed the last two games against Richmond and St Kilda, but folks were hoping he’d be good to go against Adelaide this weekend. But nope, not gonna happen. The Eagles dropped the bomb on Tuesday that the 197-game defender would be seeking advice from the AFL’s concussion experts. McGovern has had his fair share of head knocks throughout his illustrious career. General Manager Football Gavin Bell said, “Jeremy’s health and wellbeing is our number one priority, and he has not currently advanced through the concussion protocols due to ongoing symptoms.” Bell added, “Our club doctors, along with the AFL Chief Medical Officer, think it’s best to refer him to the AFL Concussion Panel to figure out a safe way forward for him.”
Former teammate Will Schofield had some serious concerns about McGovern’s wellbeing post-injury. He mentioned on Perth radio station 6PR, “I think that with his history of concussion, this could be a much bigger story than just a one week off for Gov [McGovern].” Schofield continued, “I don’t think this is just a normal one week off concussion, and get back out there. I think they’re taking it very seriously internally, and it could turn into longer time out of the game, if not out altogether.” McGovern has been a key player for the West Coast Eagles since he was picked up in the 2011 rookie draft. He’s best known for his role in the Eagles’ 2018 premiership win, where he powered through a severe injury sustained against Melbourne in the preliminary final the week before. McGovern later spilled the beans that he had torn oblique (abdominal) muscles and needed six painkilling injections on game day just to hit the field.