Mitch McGovern committed to a contract extension with the Adelaide Crows last August, during a purple patch of form.
Following a hamstring injury that kept him from participating in the Grand Final loss to Richmond, an off-season marked by tension within the Adelaide team and a major decline in team form this year, McGovern requested a trade last week.
Although his contract extends until 2020, the belief was that McGovern was unsatisfied with the team culture, and events like their infamous off-season team camp.
However, according to Tom Morris on the Fox Footy Podcast, the trade request was initially due to the mishandling of his hamstring injury in 2017.
The hamstring in question was sore prior to the finals series, but despite complaining McGovern continued to play on the advice of doctors, before he was injured and was forced to sit out of the Grand Final.
“He was playing and pushing through training because they were telling him to, but my information is that he wasn’t happy with that, they should have trusted him more and just let him have a rest for a week or even a training session, and he might not have gotten injured," Morris reported.
"Therefore he missed out on the Grand Final."
The high-marking forward played only 12 games this year, kicking 15 goals.
Despite being told he is a required player, McGovern has strongly been linked to Carlton, but recently Gold Coast has emerged as a chance, intending to replace the impact that Tom Lynch will leave behind.
