Ethan Drever: Plenty to like, but what kind of midfielder?
I like Ethan Drever. I can see how he fits for us.
The combination of size, speed and defensive intent is appealing. Add exceptionally clean hands and quick decisions in close, and there is a lot to work with. He can play inside. He can play outside. Whether he can consistently connect the two is the question Matt Rosa and his team will be asking.
The standard caveat on all of this. My assessment comes from watching full games and full player involvement edits, rather than just the highlights. However, I haven't seen him live.
Size and speed
Drever’s size and speed are obvious attractions.
He is quick off the mark and can cover ground quickly once he gets moving. That gives him ways to influence the game beyond winning the ball at a stoppage. He can get to the next contest, provide an option in space and help move the footy forward.
The testing supports what you see. His 2.905-second 20-metre sprint placed him fifth at the National Combine. That is serious pace. It is an attractive combination for Essendon. A midfielder with size who can cover ground quickly and has the intent to use that running defensively brings qualities I would be happy to add.
But speed is only part of how a player moves. The direction he can move in, and how easily he can change it under pressure, matter too. That's something he lacks, he didn't test well in Agility at the Draft Combine and it was a query I had on his game before those results were known. He's very much a straight lines player.
Exceptional by hand
His work below his knees is really good. For a player with his size, he gets down to the footy cleanly and makes fast decisions once he has it. His hands are one of the strongest parts of his game.
He can release on either side of his body, which gives him options when the pressure comes. He doesn’t always need to turn himself into a preferred position before bringing a teammate into the play.
That is particularly useful in close. The opportunity might only exist briefly, and an extra adjustment can be enough for it to disappear. Drever can win the ball and get it moving quickly. Even when he isn’t the player leaving the contest with it, his handball can give someone else the opportunity to do so.
He's a high metres gained player, either directly, or through releasing a teammate in a better position.
Inside, outside, and the connection between them
I don’t quite buy the inside/outside label without a bit more explanation.
Can Drever play inside? Yep. His clean hands and quick decisions make that clear.
Can he play outside? Yep. His speed and ground coverage give him the capacity to contribute there. But I don’t yet see the same ability to consistently move from the inside to the outside that I see in someone like Bailey Smith or Finn Callaghan.
That distinction is about creating an exit as well as using one.
If the space opens up in front of Drever, he has the acceleration to take advantage. My question is what happens when that direct route is closed. Can he shift the opponent, change his angle and create the opening himself?
There are examples of him bursting clear. Anyone who has seen the highlights will see him getting out the front of a stoppage and kicking running goals. My reservation is about how reliably he can produce that transition when the contest requires more than straight-line acceleration.
Fast, but how evasive?
From the footage I’ve watched, I think lateral agility is a relative limitation.
He doesn’t appear to have the same sideways step that Durham uses to get forward of a stoppage. Nor do I see the same power through traffic that Robey brings. Those are different ways of solving a similar problem. One player changes the angle and makes an opponent miss. Another can force his way through the contact.
Drever’s speed is a weapon, but I’m less convinced by his ability to manufacture that first opening. His handballing gives him another answer. He can release a teammate who is better positioned to move away from the contest, then use his own running to remain involved.
I still see a valuable midfield skill set. I’m just cautious about assuming that a player who can win inside ball and run quickly outside will automatically become an evasive midfielder who regularly carries it from one to the other.
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Defensive intent is A+
His defensive instincts and intent are outstanding.
This is one of the things I like most about him, and one of the reasons I can see the fit at Essendon. The speed has value when the opposition has the ball too. His willingness to defend adds another dimension to the athletic profile.
For me, that willingness matters alongside the ball-winning ability. It gives him a way to influence the game when he isn’t the one creating the attacking play.
The kicking is functional
His kicking seems fine. He can use both sides, and generally the ball gets where he wants it to go. But he isn’t Jacob Farrow.
From what I’ve watched, he can get underneath the footy. His kicking leg appears to come from outside to inside, and the resulting flight can hang longer than I would like. The target may be right, but the time the ball takes to get there matters. A teammate who is open when the kick leaves the boot can be under pressure by the time it arrives.
I would like to see a more direct flight more consistently.
I don’t think that makes his kicking a barrier to succeeding at AFL level. I wouldn’t put Callaghan, LDU or Bailey Smith in the elite kicking bracket either, and each can have a significant impact through the midfield.
Drever can gain ground with his running, move the ball forward himself or release someone else to do it. There is value in all three. The question is whether his kicking becomes reliable enough under AFL pressure to make the most of those advantages.
A fit I can see
There is plenty here that makes sense for Essendon.
Size. Speed. Defensive intent. Clean ground-level work. Exceptional hands.
Those are meaningful qualities, and I’d be more than happy if Drever ended up in red and black. Last year, I fell in love with Dyson Sharp and had my heart set on him. I don’t have that same feeling with Drever.
That isn’t a criticism of him. It is where my assessment currently sits. I like him. I can see the fit. I would be happy to have him.
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