2020 was a frustrating year for Willem Drew. A lingering foot injury and no SANFL football meant he spent much of the year watching on as Port Adelaide got close to the ultimate success.
It was a case of Groundhog Day for the 22-year-old, who last played a senior game in the 2019 SANFL Grand Final, when in the pre-season last year, he realised he had suffered an injury similar to one that wrecked his 2018 season.
Now fully fit, and with a new mentor, Drew is hoping his luck has turned.
“Last year was a pretty frustrating year for me personally, I had a few foot problems that kept lingering around,” he told portadelaidefc.com.au.
“This year has been completely different. I’ve been able to get most of pre-season done and I’ve been backing up sessions so I’m feeling pretty good.
“I’m just going to be happy to be back playing footy. If that’s in the AFL or the SANFL, I don’t really mind.
“I obviously want to be playing AFL footy but if I have to start in the SANFL and make my way in, I’m just going to enjoy footy and go from there.”
Drew got his AFL shot in 2019 after a shoulder injury to vice-captain Ollie Wines.
The midfielder impressed with his composure and ability to play both on the inside and outside, and he strung together 10 games including the first eight of the season.
He could get another taste on Saturday when Port Adelaide shapes up against Adelaide in a practice game, before the sides meet again in an official AAMI Community Series match at Noarlunga a week later.
A natural midfielder, Drew has enlisted the help of some handy mentors to help him best prepare to break into Port's strong on-ball division.
“I’ve been working with Tom Rockliff pretty closely and then you learn off Ollie Wines and Travis Boak and people like that as well,” he explained.
“You learn off their game and see what you can put into yours.”
While he is hopeful of breaking back into the AFL side, Drew is also realistic about his chances, and is prepared to bide his time and showcase his talent in the SANFL.
“It’s a healthy list. The training has been really good, really competitive and everyone’s pushing for a spot,” he said.
“I think everyone’s just keen to play footy. There was obviously no SANFL last year so for us to be able to play in the SANFL and show what we can do, it’s going to help make everyone better.
“We all want to be part of it so if we can push each other along and push for selection and that sort of thing, it’ll help everyone.”
Port Adelaide will play a SANFL/AFL double header against Adelaide at Alberton on Saturday with the SANFL game at 8:30am and the AFL match getting underway at 11am.
Both games will be live streamed at portadelaidefc.com.au and on the Official Port Adelaide mobile app.
