I've probably never seen them better.
- Daniel McGovern
Daniel McGovern only arrived back in Australia just before Christmas and wasn't 100 per cent sure if he'd play cricket for the rest of the summer.
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A few months later and the left-handed batsman has not only donned the whites again, but he's notched up a couple of tons and now finds himself in a Newcastle first-grade grand final.
"Mont [Wallsend captain Jake Montgomery] just sent me a message saying, 'I heard you're home, fancy a hit?'" McGovern told the Newcastle Herald.
"I'd already thought about sending him a message anyway saying mind if I come to training, watch the second half of the season and maybe play a bit of twos to enjoy the second part of the summer.
"I went to training, had a hit and it went from there. Obviously I was seeing them alright. I've probably never seen them better. I've surprised myself, no doubt about it. I've just been enjoying it without any pressure, having a hit with blokes I haven't seen or played with in years. It's all come together, I guess."
McGovern has scored 298 runs from four digs, plus another 53 in his sole game in second grade, to average 99.33 upon returning to Wallsend.
The 30-year-old started with 105 against Belmont on February 4, missed out against Toronto (3) before reaching 152 against Waratah-Mayfield in the last round as the Tigers won a three-way battle for the minor premiership.
His unbeaten 38 helped Wallsend ease past City's 91 in last weekend's semi-final at home, setting up a title showdown with Stockton at No.1 Sportsground on Saturday and Sunday.
McGovern, one of seven Maitland products in the Wallsend XI, originally made the move from junior club Thornton to the Tigers in 2010-11 and played in a Newcastle decider the following season.
He took off in 2015 and spent seven-and-a-half years in England, bookended by cricket stints and most recently enjoying back-to-back promotions with Hambledon in Hampshire.
Wallsend captain Jake Montgomery says the Tigers plan to field an unchanged side this weekend with Newcastle and NSW Country representative Pat Magann (ankle) still wearing a CAM boot.
Stockton are also expected to keep the same team.
Showers are predicted from Thursday to Sunday.
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Josh Callinan
My name is Josh Callinan and I'm a sports journalist at the Newcastle Herald. I started with the newspaper in 2016 after a decade at the Maitland Mercury.
My name is Josh Callinan and I'm a sports journalist at the Newcastle Herald. I started with the newspaper in 2016 after a decade at the Maitland Mercury.
