Player Watch Pick #33 (2016) - Willem Drew

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I keep coming back to how much more effective Dusty has been since Tiges brought in Prestia as a true extractor. This allowed Dusty to be the breakaway from packs without having to do his own extraction first.
Any chance of Drew playing a similar role for Ollie?
More likely the reverse, if Drew proves AFL standard.
 
I keep coming back to how much more effective Dusty has been since Tiges brought in Prestia as a true extractor. This allowed Dusty to be the breakaway from packs without having to do his own extraction first.
Any chance of Drew playing a similar role for Ollie?

I’ve noticed a few people have said exactly what I was going to.

Wines isn’t that type of player. Powell-Pepper is our dusty type player. He has good power away from the contest and a really powerful kick.
 
His home town local paper has a story about his debut. He was playing against men in 2016 as per photo below

https://www.standard.net.au/story/5962669/hampden-export-to-make-afl-debut/
KOROIT export Willem Drew will make his AFL debut for Port Adelaide on Saturday.Power coach Ken Hinkley, himself a former Hampden league footballer, announced the Power's four first-gamers at a press conference on Tuesday.
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The three-time Koroit premiership player told The Standard earlier this month he was working on his inside midfield craft as he strived to earn a spot in the Power's best 22.

Koroit coach Chris McLaren said the Saints were rapt for Drew. "It's great news. I got a message this morning," he said. "It's very exciting. He had a tough run last year with his footy injury and to be able to bounce back after a year off, have a good pre-season and be picked for round one is a testament to him." A Koroit practice match will clash with Drew's first game. But McLaren has plans for round two in South Australia if his former teammate holds his spot. "I reckon there will be a fair (Koroit) contingent at Adelaide Oval the next week," he said. "We have the weekend off and the Power plays on a Saturday at twilight. "It might have to be our debut in round two.".........
https://www.standard.net.au/story/5962669/hampden-export-to-make-afl-debut/


EARLY IMPACT: Soon-to-be AFL debutant Willem Drew was named best on ground in Koroit's 2016 Hampden league grand final win.

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200 gamer. **** he was good.

So good in close, neat with the ball in space. Going to be an excellent player for us for a long time.

Yeah.

It’s scary to think he still has so much development left.

192cms tall. Quick. Smart around stoppages. Quick hands. Great clearance numbers. Good tackler. Good over head. Decent kick. Has a real opportunity to become an A grader. Just need him to build his tank a bit more.
 
I knew he played against men in 2018 and 2017 but Dwayne said he also played in 2016 for Koriot and they won the flag each year and he played in all 3 GF's in the Hampden League.

Not a bad pre AFL career, have 3 premiership medals in the kit bag from open age footy in a tough, strong, country Vic league.
 
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Joel Corey clone

Spot on - the guy who might not get the plaudits of the other mids but his work is recognised as being invaluable to the team.
 
There was so much hype about Andrew Moore being the next great big bodied midfielder for Port, and he never delivered. In one game Drew has outperformed anything Moore did during his entire career with us. He looks really composed on the ball. Isn't going to be a flashy player, but he's a smart one for sure. I think at full strength he is right on the border of the team but he will get plenty of opportunities this year and beyond without a doubt.
 

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I knew he played against men in 2018 and 2017 but Dwayne said he also played in 2016 for Koriot and they won the flag each year and he played in all 3 GF's in the Hampden League.

Not a bad pre AFL career, have 3 premiership medals in the kit bag from open age footy in a tough, strong, country Vic league.
and I think was BOG in the last GF for Koriot...thought he was in our best 6 on weekend
 
Surprised none of us have put the article up from the Advertiser today. A couple of hours ago I was at my sister's and saw that Port's new favourite journo Reece Homfray has given Willem over a page coverage with a couple of photo's from the game and story. Look's like Reece has a new segment - The Moment on Monday (or did I miss it in past years?)

From Koroit to the MCG

The boys at Koroit in western Victoria were planning to play a trial game against Torquay on the weekend but some of them got a better offer — the MCG. So on Saturday they made their way to Melbourne to watch three-time premiership teammate Willem Drew make his AFL debut for Port Adelaide. “The numbers dwindled fast. Quite a few of the boys his age opted for the MCG rather than Koroit,” coach Chris McLaren said. As they sat in the stands they watched Drew, 20, do everything he used to do for them.

The No. 33 draft pick from 2016 accumulated 21 disposals — 10 contested — and five tackles. The best of them came 19 minutes into the second quarter when Jake Melksham hit the contest at full pace and tapped the ball in front of him. Drew came from the side and began tracking him like a cheetah running down a deer. He took 12 steps at full tilt and lunged at Melksham to cause the turnover and Port went forward and scored. “One thing that really stood out at that age was his tackling,” said McLaren, who played with Drew at Koroit. “In country footy most blokes will look at a kid and say ‘you can’t stop me’ but his ability to grab them and hang onto them was unbelievable. “He was getting our highest tackle numbers from word go, and there’s some footage in grand finals where blokes were trying to bulldoze over the top of him and he was just dragging them down.”
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Drew played in three senior flags for Koroit before he was drafted. The first at age 15, second at 16 and third at 17 when he didn’t feel right coming back from the TAC Cup to take someone’s spot but the club insisted and he won the medal for best-on-ground. [his birthday is 1st October] “Not many play at that age and certainly not many in premierships,” McLaren said. “His footy IQ was unbelievable, young kids normally run around crazy but he was always in the right spots. “His endurance running was terrific and by the time he played his last grand final he won the medal, his second half running and three goals just took them apart.”
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“We’ve got next week off before we start so we’re a fair chance to head to Adelaide Oval and watch him next week,” McLaren said.
https://outline.com/tYEgPd

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Has Tom always had a tooth missing?
Or is it just a gap?
Yep he plays with out his plate. I have found a photo from 2017 after a game, where he has his plate out.
 
If Atley can get his body right and act together, then that 2016 draft class could turn out to be everything we hoped for and got excited about on draft night.
Factor in Sam Hayes a year later, and the three musketeers from class ‘18, then that group of 8 (ruck, three inside mids, key forward, three outside-inside mids) is almost enough to build a dynasty around. Then consider that our backline is so young and already accomplished, and we have Mead and Schofield Jr on the horizon.....good recruiting and list management
 

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