Player Watch Pick #33 (2016) - Willem Drew

[JimmyBC]

I think Drew is a better player than he gets credit for he'll be in the mix you need a few to run through there.

I'd be phasing out the 35 year old that's never got us anywhere.

 

[Wargreymon90]

I can’t believe a player training well is causing melts.

 

[StartTheCarr]

I can’t believe a player training well is causing melts.

But did you see the house after? He trained it down.

 

[StartTheCarr]

WTF is all this Drew talk??

He has been so solid in the middle shutting down 95% of his opponents in a roll he excels at.

Rarely makes a massive clanger, does a job well and he needs to step up?

He keeps his spot imo. He is a rock.

He isnt even My 2023 Buddy.

 

[EskimoPAFC]

Drew simply needs to be used well. He's our best defensive, disruptive player by far, and has more goal sense than you would expect for a defensive midfielder.

To an elite coach who can use him well and get him to play whatever role is needed for the team he probably is in the squad for 10-15 games of the year.

 

[PortPortPort]

WTF is all this Drew talk??

He has been so solid in the middle shutting down 95% of his opponents in a roll he excels at.

Rarely makes a massive clanger, does a job well and he needs to step up?

He keeps his spot imo. He is a rock.

He isnt even My 2023 Buddy.

I think he's like Cassissi works hard does his job but non threatening.

 

[StueyDaDew]

WTF is all this Drew talk??

He has been so solid in the middle shutting down 95% of his opponents in a roll he excels at.

Rarely makes a massive clanger, does a job well and he needs to step up?

He keeps his spot imo. He is a rock.

He isnt even My 2023 Buddy.

Agree.

We are the best in the league at clearances from stoppages and Drew is an important part of that and the midfield structure.
I'm not suggesting that JHF is in the same ilk as R Grey (yet), but imo he’ll simply be his replacement

 

[Peninsula Boy]

I felt that Drew hit a bit of a wall last year after breaking into the team in 2021.
Obviously his defensive game and in and under is borderline elite. He dishes out to runners well.
I was hoping he would add more to his offensive game and get more possessions in 2022 but he was about the same.
If he does get more possies and impacts the game offensively, our midfield will be insane.
IIRC, Drew has played just about every game of the last two years.

It will be interesting to see if he holds his spot or is just on the outer with the midfield starting to really have ultra talented guys in there.

Horne-Francis, Rozee, Wines, Butters, Boak - then you have Jackson Mead wanting a look in. Sam Powell-Pepper wouldn't say no. Miles Bergman might try it on.

Whatever happens we will see some strong internal battles for games in the midfield which can't be a bad thing.

Could our midfield in the near future be as good as the West Coast Judd, Cousins, Kerr, etc or Brisbane Voss, Akemanis, Black, etc
It is hard to keep a lid on it.

 

[PJ Power]

Let's not underestimate Carr's ability to get the best out of Drew either. He was a very good SANFL coach and no person is better placed to coach a defensive mid from experience and to help him bring offensive weapons to his game. Carr was exceptional at kicking goals as a tagging mid when we really needed them.

 

[NoddyHolder]

I like Drew but his very poor kicking is still an issue

 

[Coobk001]

I like Drew but his very poor kicking is still an issue

Drew is very much a get ball kick ball player too. When he finds it in time and space, he is extremely reluctant to take more than 5 steps before disposing. It's this lack of composure and panic that leads to his uncontested possession being as hit or miss as his in tight contested disposals. Also regularly is what results in many of the poor decisions he makes (though he's generally a reasonable decision maker).

A good player no doubt, but he has a few major limitations to get past, to become a quality AFL player. Right now he wouldn't make the midfields of many of the top teams and his presence has really denoted the lack of depth in ours. With Butters, Rozee, JHF all moving in over the last 2 years, you've gotta hope he can be pushed out.

SPP was also talked about by Carr as a pinch-hitter in middle which he should be, so hopefully that also adds to the depth.

 

[El Zorro]

I like [insert any ports player] but his very poor kicking is still an issue

Fixed

 

[Wargreymon90]

I don’t think Drew is best 22 at the moment. But is valuable depth.

But I’m also not against him taking his game to another level and earning his spot. This concept is lost on this board sometimes.

 

[robbo1981]

I don't have Drew in my best 22 but hope he proves me wrong and steps up to another level.
Every chance he does under Carr a real in your face defensive mid .

 

[Enviable Tradition]

Worried Drew is getting called out. Needs to take a massive step to be worthy of picking ahead of a few others.

Yep. He should be comparing himself to Viney and aiming to get a similar low 20s possession count.

On SM-G975F using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Peninsula Boy]

Drew is in a similar boat to the off season darling, McEntee.

Just by the influx of talent and a fit and healthy squad, they have dropped down the playing ladder a bit.

I don't want to pile on McEntee but he has got Junor Rioli, Orazio 'not injured like last year' Fantasia and Francis Evans to contend with for a game.

I still think Drew has a place on the list and as others have said, hopefully Josh Carr teaches him new midfield skills from the Ramsgate, he learns more offensive impact but when it comes down to it, he is a very good defensive midfielder, something the other guys above him are not. So he does have a point of difference that has curbed games to our advantage.

 

[robbo1981]

Could he possibly play as a defensive forward? Stopping teams running back has become very important.
And he has a happy knack of kicking goals out of his arse.

 

[philthy05]

I like Drew but his very poor kicking is still an issue

Poor kicking?

Not sure what you’re seeing? He’s not a turnover merchant by any means much less when compared to other inside mids.

His kicking isn’t a weapon, but by no means is it poor, especially compared to other inside mids.

Tends to play within his limits kicking-wise , and isn’t especially creative by foot (but is very creative by hand)

neither a good kick nor a poor kick.

Could he possibly play as a defensive forward? Stopping teams running back has become very important.
And he has a happy knack of kicking goals out of his arse.

Not really. In patches in games sure, but as a specialist… why?

We have other players who would be far better in that role. It would be like trying to use a tractor to do Uber eats delivery in the city while you have a Volkswagen Golf in the shed.

 

[TeeKray]

He's kicked 10 goals in 56 games. So he's going at a goal every 5.6 games which is poor even for a midfielder. He often gets the ball 40-50 metres out and can't even make the distance. Whatever his defensive weapons are don't make up for his lack of impact on offense. In the end there's just no room for him with Wines, Boak, Butters, Rozee and Horne-Francis on the roster. He's handy depth and will no doubt be called upon but when everyone is fit and firing he's clearly outside the 23.

 

[robbo1981]

He's kicked 10 goals in 56 games. So he's going at a goal every 5.6 games which is poor even for a midfielder. He often gets the ball 40-50 metres out and can't even make the distance. Whatever his defensive weapons are don't make up for his lack of impact on offense. In the end there's just no room for him with Wines, Boak, Butters, Rozee and Horne-Francis on the roster. He's handy depth and will no doubt be called upon but when everyone is fit and firing he's clearly outside the 23.

Agreed

 

[Enviable Tradition]

He's kicked 10 goals in 56 games. So he's going at a goal every 5.6 games which is poor even for a midfielder. He often gets the ball 40-50 metres out and can't even make the distance. Whatever his defensive weapons are don't make up for his lack of impact on offense. In the end there's just no room for him with Wines, Boak, Butters, Rozee and Horne-Francis on the roster. He's handy depth and will no doubt be called upon but when everyone is fit and firing he's clearly outside the 23.

Hes a defensive mid.

Jack Viney goes at about 0.3 goals per game.

Hes not that far off.

On SM-G975F using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Harlott]

Let's not underestimate Carr's ability to get the best out of Drew either. He was a very good SANFL coach and no person is better placed to coach a defensive mid from experience and to help him bring offensive weapons to his game. Carr was exceptional at kicking goals as a tagging mid when we really needed them.

Josh Carr is a step up on Drew in every aspect. Talent, footy IQ and mongrel. Can he draw more of that out of Drew?

 

[Doctor Feel]

Josh Carr is a step up on Drew in every aspect. Talent, footy IQ and mongrel. Can he draw more of that out of Drew?

I think Dew thrashes Carr on talent. Consistency obviously favours Carr.

 

[Byrons Firen]

Tends to play within his limits kicking-wise , and isn’t especially creative by foot (but is very creative by hand)

neither a good kick nor a poor kick

Agree with ^ and would add to my bold that he's very good at spoiling oppo h/balls. In tight he has quick hands maybe not eye catching or sexy

but clearly rated within the club. The Rozee Zak and JHF is all well n good but rotations thru' the midfield are seen in numbers like 6/7.

He's no world beater he's a meat n potatoes player and a pretty effective one.

 

[Blinky Nyland]

I'm a bit torn over Drew. His hands are very good and his ability to reach in and intercept the handpassing of opposition inside mids is top shelf. Given that we are usually working to losing the tap or at best a nullified tap, his body positioning and tackle pressure keep us in with a chance. For those reasons I think we still need him in the 22. He's also very capable of being the extractor when given the license to be more offensive at stoppages.

However, I am disappointed with his kicking. Kornes like, he tends to pop it up, but he is even less accurate with his placement. He needs to work on getting more balanced when kicking and in less time. Set shots are not accurate and lack distance (40m is a stretch for him).

So he's great and he isn't.