Port Adelaide acting captain Willem Drew said reaching 150 games is ‘super special’, especially after missing a chunk of footy early in his career through injury. 

With Connor Rozee and Zak Butters sidelined with injury, the 27-year-old has taken game day captaincy in his stride over the past fortnight, taking the opportunity with both hands. 

On the eve of his 150th AFL game, Drew spoke with the Adelaide media about what it means to reach the milestone, how his leadership has grown and how the group is keeping morale high. 

Drew on game 150 
“It means a lot. Obviously, 150 games is super special, and no doubt I've got a lot of family and friends who are super proud. And it's been a bit of a journey to get here, so it’s something that I'm extremely proud of. I just can't wait to get out there. 

“Especially after missing a fair chunk of footy when I first got to the club, I've made it a point to try and get out there as much as I can, and really appreciate playing footy and being able to get some games in a row, which has been pleasing. It’s been a great journey so far, and I’m looking forward to what's next as well.” 

Drew on being acting captain 
“It’s pretty crazy. Definitely wouldn't have believed it (if you’d told me when I started out), but I think I've grown so much as a person, and this footy club has really helped me in that way. I've had some great mentors and leaders along the journey who have shaped me as well. So I haven't tried to change too much. It's probably just been a lot of growing and adapting, and something that I've really enjoyed.” 

“It's been enjoyable, a great opportunity, and I think the coaches have probably set up the last couple of weeks speaking about opportunity with people that are injured, and then an opportunity for myself to lead the club. So it's been great for my development. It’s probably more of a game day role, and obviously we've still got Connor and Zak around the club who are leading as well. So I’ve found it quite enjoyable.” 

Drew on keeping morale high with players getting injured 
“I think you can look at it (in a negative way), but also look at the opportunity for another person to come in and get a go. Obviously it's disappointing to see injuries and people miss out for the year. But you know, us as players, it's great to see other people get opportunities. And we're a footy club where one person goes out, we want another person to come in and play that role. So that's the way that will be going forward as well.” 

Drew on the Brisbane review 
“The review was heavily focused on team D. You probably saw in that second half just the way that Brisbane were able to move the ball and they were able to hit short kicks, keep marking the ball. So we had a big focus around team D and connection, understanding what we should be doing in certain situations. So that's definitely a focus throughout the week. We trained it today, so we hope to see improvement in that area for sure.” 

Drew on GWS 
“They’re got some really damaging players who like to move the ball quickly. So our team D is going to be crucial, and that's a focus point of our game. So, it's going to be exciting, and looking forward to getting out there.” 

Drew on trying to finish the year strong 
“Yeah, absolutely. I know Carry’s touched on that. We really want to push forward in this next month of footy, and we don't want to take a backward step. I's really about learning, developing, and playing good footy. We want to get as many wins as we can before the end of the year, and really set ourselves up. So yeah, it's exciting for us as a group when we're challenged at times with injuries and different things like that. It’s a good opportunity for us to stand up and really push to play some good footy this next month.” 

Drew on Jason Horne-Francis’s leadership growth 
“I think Jason's obviously a superstar player and a great leader as well. And his on field stuff is first class. He sees the game so well, his journey and development has probably really fast tracked in the past couple of weeks. Really pleasing for him to be able to keep growing and developing. And he's obviously got a big future at this footy club, and will no doubt be a leader someday for sure. 

“He’s hard at it. Plays the right way. He's a really great connector around the footy club. Yeah, I'm sure one day he might captain in the footy club, obviously time will tell. He's obviously got an exciting future ahead and he’s a massive part of this footy club. 

Drew on Zak Butters’ rehab 
“The way that Zak's tracking, he just wants to play footy. His recovery and rehab is going really strongly, so he's going to give himself every chance to get back. And for him it's just about playing footy and helping the team win.”