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Shayne HopeThe West Australian Former Geelong champion Jimmy Bartel believes Port Adelaide have laid the blueprint for teams seeking to quell the influence of West Coast star Jeremy McGovern
at the business end of the season. McGovern is the competition’s leading contested and intercept marker, and kicked the match-winning goal for the Eagles in their crucial victory over the
Power at Adelaide Oval last Saturday night. But the 26-year-old was kept unusually quiet by inexperienced Power forward Aidyn Johnson for three quarters. He had just six disposals and three
marks to three-quarter time before being thrown forward by Eagles coach Adam Simpson in a desperate attempt to pinch the game. Young teammate Daniel Venables (four) was the only player on
the ground with fewer touches than McGovern to that point. Johnson, playing just his ninth AFL game, kicked three goals and helped Port Adelaide to a 28-point advantage during the third
quarter. But they lost three players to injury, including star duo Paddy Ryder and Charlie Dixon, and were overrun in the final term as McGovern proved the hero in attack. Bartel, a
triple-premiership Cat and Brownlow Medal winner, said on the AFL website’s _Access All Areas_ program that Johnson had pushed McGovern up the ground and given himself a chance to spoil in
marking contests with his positioning. “There’s two important things in the way he played him,” Bartel said. “He still tried to kick goals, which is really important. “Defensive forwards, if
you just go and be totally negative, the likes of McGovern just ignore you if you’re just going to stand there. “But the way he played him in position, he sat on his back shoulder a lot.
“McGovern reads the ball so well in flight and he’s going to come and launch himself at the ball. “At least this gives Aidyn Johnson a chance to … put some pressure on McGovern and keep
himself (in the contest). “Then he was able to continue on in the play.” McGovern (196cm) stands a lot taller than Johnson (185cm) and has a prodigious leap to match his strong marking
ability. But Essendon goal kicking legend Matthew Lloyd felt the smaller player was able to expose his opponent at ground level. “Often it’s a bigger player, but the pace of Johnson really
worried McGovern out the back,” Lloyd said. McGovern had the last laugh, putting West Coast in front for the first time on the night with the final kick of the match after the siren. GET THE
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