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Important SN update for SouthlandThe stats that prove McGovern is the best defender of the modern era
SEN • June 26th, 2025 9:07 am
Retired West Coast champion Jeremy McGovern stands head and shoulders above every other key defender according to Champion Data’s metrics over the last 15 years.
McGovern made his debut for the Eagles in 2011 and would go on to play 197 games for the club where he was a five-time All-Australian, club best and fairest winner and 2018 premiership hero.
He was unfortunately made to retire after an expert concussion panel recommended he do so last week.
A key defender that may go down as perhaps the best intercept marker the game has seen, McGovern has blown up Champion Data’s system over the last decade both overall and when it matters most in finals.
“When a true great of the game retires, we celebrate and recognise what they do and Jeremy McGovern is an out-and-out great of our competition,” Champion Data’s Daniel Hoyne told SEN Sportsday.
“Over the last 10 years, these are the top four players in the game (on Champion Data’s rating system): Patrick Dangerfield at 1, Marcus Bontempelli at 2, Jeremy McGovern at 3 and Dustin Martin at 4 – that’s the company this guy is in.
“Then his finals record, these are the top five finals players over the last 10 years (on Champion Data’s rating system): Dusty is 1 – we know that, Jack Crisp is 2 – we talk about his record, Brodie Grundy is 3 – his finals record has been strong, Luke Shuey is 4 – he has the highest-rated Grand Final ever and then McGovern is the fifth best.”
As well as being able to stand up in September, Hoyne revealed some insane stats that McGovern achieved which no other key defender has come close to.
“He's had 10 straight seasons where he's averaged 3+ intercept marks, no other player has done that in the history of the game for more than five seasons. He did it for 10 straight years,” Hoyne revealed.
“He averaged 3.5 intercept marks across his career. No player in the game has averaged that across their career. He's had 53 matches with 5+ intercept marks. The next most is 40.
“The 5 best seasons (on Champion Data’s rating system) that we've seen by a key defender all belong to Jeremy McGovern.
“15 Champion Data rating points for a key defender is out of this world good, he’s done that 52 times, the most of any key defender.
“His ability to out-mark his opponent in a one-on-one contest, no player's ever been better in the game than what he did in a one-on-one contest.
“He's an absolute superstar of our game and I hope everyone can just appreciate and recognise just how good of a footballer this guy is.”
Perhaps the only player that comes near McGovern as a key defender according to Champion Data in the last 15 years is Richmond champion Alex Rance who was also a five-time All-Australian.
Hoyne was among those shattered to see both greats forced into retirement by injury, McGovern with concussion and Rance with an ACL injury.
“It's probably a little bit unfortunate that probably the two best key defenders that we've seen over the last 15 years in McGovern and Rance go out through injury,” Hoyne said.
“But with that (Champion Data) profile, we'll be very lucky to see another key defender with that type of profile over the next period of time.”
