PORT ADELAIDE midfielder Willem Drew says he’s happy flying under the radar and allowing his young teammates to take the spotlight. 

Throughout 2023, Connor Rozee, Zak Butters and Jason Horne-Francis have been front of mind for fans and media alike, but the unassuming Drew has been making an important impact of his own. 

The versatile 24-year-old spoke to the media on Tuesday about the year so far, what it takes to win close games, and the battle with the Bombers this weekend. 

Drew on flying under the radar 
“It doesn’t bother me too much at all (that people aren’t talking about me). Happy just to sort of go about my business and do whatever's needed for the team. Obviously we've got some really special players in our team who are playing some really good footy so happy just to do my bit. (My role) probably sort of changes each week – a bit through the wing, a bit on-ball. We've got a lot of people who can go through there so it's good to be able to play different positions. It doesn’t really affect me too much, I’m a pretty low-key sort of bloke so I’m happy to go with whatever.” 

Drew on team ambition for the rest of the season 
“We spoke a little bit about half the season that's just gone and obviously we’ve had a fair few wins in a row which is really pleasing but I suppose off the bye, it's good to have a reset and I suppose for us, things aren’t really going to change. We're still going to play the way we do…and hopefully we'll have a few more wins along the way.” 

Drew on winning close games 
“We've been playing in different conditions, we've been up some weeks, we've been down other weeks and been able to fight back so I think we have taken a lot of confidence out of that and we're going to keep building that and we still want to improve. We’ve got a lot of things still to work on and we're going to do that in the back half of the year. (The key is) probably what we've spoke about all year and that's our pressure and intensity. We know when we go away from that, that's when things don't go our way but we know if we stick to that, people playing their roles and people putting pressure on, that's when things go our way and that's when you can really go to work.” 

Drew on Essendon this weekend 
“They've got some really special players on their team and it's a bit like anyone in the competition, when the team's on, they're a tough competition. It's obviously going to be another great challenge at the ‘G on Saturday night and one we're looking forward to. 

“I think (our midfield) stacks up really high. The Bombers have got a really good midfield group as well but we're definitely going to back ourselves in and use our weapons and it should be really good.” 

Drew on playing a tagging role 
“It does change week to week. Probably mostly it sort of happens on game day, if another mid gets on top and Kenny thinks it’s probably worth going to them. During the week you always know who you're coming up against and know the players who are going to have the most impact so it's always a challenge and one I'm happy to do.” 

Drew on Miles Bergman 
“Miles has been massive this year. Probably everyone's seen his attributes and what he brings to the team and how important he is so he's another one we definitely want to keep around. He's a really exciting player.” 

Drew on Xavier Duursma’s expected return from injury 
“Duurs had a fair bit of a break with his knee so it's great to see him out on the track and he's put a lot of hard work in. I’m assuming in the next couple of weeks he'll be ready to go. It's great to have him back out there.” 

Drew on Tom Jonas 
“TJ's been the exact same (since playing in the SANFL). He’s just the person he is, he's a really strong leader for the club so it doesn’t matter if he's playing SANFL or AFL, he's going to be our captain and he's had no difference in his attitude. He's playing some really good footy in the SANFL so he'll be back, no doubt.” 

Drew on Lachie Jones 
“Lachie Jones has the jaw so he was playing some really good footy before that. He could potentially have another couple of weeks on the sidelines and once he gets back, he’ll be in the mix for sure. It's just a matter of trying to squeeze in. It's really tight for selection at the moment, which is a good problem to have so see how he goes.”