CARLTON star recruit Mitch McGovern will make his return to face Richmond on Sunday.

Interim coach David Teague confirmed McGovern would be included in the senior side to face the Tigers when speaking to media on Friday morning.

Teague is confident the Blues’ big man is primed for the late-season return after completing an intense training block over the last month. 

McGovern’s aerial talent has been an area the Blues have missed in recent weeks, with Teague noting the 24-year-old’s ability to either take strong marks, or force the ball to the ground – presenting the Blues’ small forwards with additional opportunities to score. 

“The way he has moved on the training track for the last week and a half has been super impressive and we’re excited to have him available this weekend,” Teague said of McGovern. 

“It’s his first game back after a few weeks off so we need him to come in and play his role and compete for us and get the ball to ground.  

“Last week we saw West Coast mark the ball against us and Mitch is very good at getting the ball to ground.”

Confident his match fitness has returned after a training block under Director of High Performance Andrew Russell, Teague is eager to see what the forward can produce. 

“He’s moving on the training track like he’s free, he says he’s feeling really good about himself,” he said.

“Physically I think he’ll actually run out games a little bit better than he was because of the conditioning he’s got into himself.”  

The top-four Tigers will head into the clash the favourites after six straight wins, a test for the young Blues outfit.

For Teague, however, the game presents a strong opportunity for his team to implement the learnings from last week’s loss to West Coast. 

“I think it’s another great challenge for our group and they have to come and compete strongly,” he said of the match-up.

“Our boys did learn some good lessons from West Coast and Richmond are a different beast.”

“They’re playing some really good football but we believe we are too and we’re looking forward to the challenge.”