Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley wants injury-free run for 'ultimate team player'

The pair - both premiership players in the Hampden league - joined forces at Alberton Oval four years ago.

But lower leg and foot problems have restricted Drew, now 21, to just 10 games for the Power.

The three-time Koroit premiership player, who achieved the feat as a teenager before he was drafted, is currently nursing a broken foot.

Hinkley, who coached Camperdown to back-to-back flags in 1999-2000, is confident Drew will bounce back from his latest setback.

He believes Drew's team-first approach, running ability and toughness around the contest will ensure he develops into a regular member of the Power's best 22.

"He came up in the draft with (South Warrnambool's Hugh) McCluggage and McCluggage is obviously a really, really talented top-end player and I am sure Willem, given equally as good a run without his body breaking down on him, would be rated pretty highly in AFL football," Hinkley told The Standard.

"He just sees the game well, he can play anywhere and everywhere and he's tough. He doesn't flinch in any contest."

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Hinkley said Drew, who lived in Warrnambool and played for Koroit, was "the ultimate team player".

"Drewy as a local Warrnambool boy, everyone should be looking forward (to watching him because) with an injury-free run Willem Drew will be a very, very good AFL player," he said.

"I think all the Koroit people would know what he's like. He's a hard worker, a hard runner and will do anything for the team.

"He's a big boy. People don't realise he's a 192 or 193-centimetre midfielder and he's a powerful runner and that's probably why his foot is sore, he runs too hard at times."

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Drew injured himself after the Power's last Marsh Series pre-season game in March.

Hinkley said his recovery time was between 12 and 15 weeks.

The AFL's coronavirus-enforced break - no football will be played until at least May 31 - has a silver lining for the ball-winning midfielder.

"He's six weeks in, so he's probably got another six to eight weeks to go," Hinkley said.

"But the good thing about that is the season is still potentially another six to eight weeks away so by the time we're back playing I would think Drewy will be pushing his case very strongly."

Hinkley's second flag with Camperdown was 20 years ago.

He is still in contact with people at Leura Oval and has fond memories.

"I do remember the significance to the town and what it meant to everyone involved," he said of the flag double.

"We won the first year and went through undefeated and the second year we lost the one game and we changed the team significantly in the second year.

"I think we had something like eight or nine different players and that was a great credit to the young blokes because most of them were local boys."

Hinkley said he was blessed with a talented team which made his job easier.

"It was as good a country team as you could wish to have, particularly in 1999 and that went over into 2000," he said.

"We were blessed in lots of ways. When you have people like my brother Brian, he was a Maskell Medallist and country league legend almost, and Bruce Cohen who was a good player in his own right at country level.

"And then we had the local boys - the Sinnott brothers and Stephen Sinnott as well, a cousin, and then you had all the Meades, Gary O'Neil and people like that.

"We were just lucky at that time. They were just fantastic local people who today probably have young boys playing football in Camperdown too which is great."

Hinkley said he was eager to hand the last premiership coach baton on at the Magpies.

"The club is still going really well and really strong and there's some great people still around it," he said.

"I was talking to some people the other day.

"I was involved with people like Kevin Russell and Keith Stephens who were around the football club back then as supporters and volunteers and helpers and workers on the committee and they're still there today doing it."

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