Why Champion Data ranks McGovern over Rance as his generation’s best key back

Champion Data’s Daniel Hoyne thinks that West Coast defender Jeremy McGovern is underappreciated.

The 32-year-old is enjoying a dominant campaign for a struggling Eagles side in 2024, averaging career highs in disposals and rebound 50s while playing more of an intercepting role than previously.

While he’s often been a loose man in 2024, McGovern showed off his one-on-one prowess in last Friday’s 97-87 win over Gold Coast when switched onto Ben King and Hoyne was blown away by his 11-disposal, three-mark last quarter where he kept King to just three touches and a goal when the game was on the line.

“This bloke is the greatest shield since Matty Scarlett, and that’s Jeremy McGovern,” Hoyne said on SEN's Sportsday.

“This is a guy that is still going and going as strong as ever.

“For those that didn't watch that game on the weekend against Gold Coast, Harry Edwards goes off concussed who was playing on Ben King … so McGovern has to go to Ben King and play the lockdown role.

“With the game on the line the last quarter, I think you would have seen one of the more influential quarters you've seen by a key back to decide a game of footy.

“It just got me thinking just like, do we as an industry recognise and appreciate the significance and how good this guy has been?”

While he’s 11 seasons into his AFL career, Hoyne says that the four-time All-Australian is rated as the competition’s best key back by far in 2024 according to Champion Data. His campaign so far has been comparable to those All-Aus seasons in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

“Off our rating system he is clearly the best key defender this year, and I am almost certain that he will not feature in the All-Australian team this year,” Hoyne said.

“These are his ratings. In 2016 he’s the 10th-best player in the comp, which for a key defender is unheard of.

“Then he’s 13th, 5th, 3rd and 7th. Then over the last three or four years, he hasn't played enough minutes to qualify because he's been injured.

“But then again this year, he’s the 12th best player in the competition this year.”

While McGovern is most known for his aerial prowess, Hoyne thinks this one-on-one work and ball use makes him the most complete key defender of his generation and he even rates him higher than Richmond great Alex Rance, who was a five-time All-Australian from 2014 to 2018.

“What he does from a ball use perspective backs up the intercept work that he's done,” Hoyne said.

“Over the last 10 years, no one's taken more intercept marks, no one's taken more contested intercept marks than this guy, so it's not gifted to him, he’s winning it back in a contest.

“He's the sixth hardest person to beat in a one-on-one contest, and then wins the ball back off you 40 per cent of the time, AFL average is 25 per cent of the time in a one-on-one contest.

“He is the absolute, complete key defender of the last 10 years.

“I know a lot of Richmond supporters would probably throw up Alex Rance and fair enough, if Alex had probably played for a little bit longer, he would have been in a similar conversation to Jeremy. But unfortunately, he didn't.

“This guy is clearly the best key defender of the last 10 to 15 years, and I hope he's recognised later on this year in All-Australian conversations.”

McGovern will hope to continue his good form when the Eagles face the Kangaroos in Hobart on Saturday afternoon.