Travis Boak made the decision this week to sign on for another year with Port Adelaide, with the much-loved club great set to play an incredible 19th AFL season.
Boak topped the list this year for most AFL games played for the Power, and could be on track to break Russell Ebert’s record for most games played for the club.
Speaking with club media on Thursday, Boak reflected on the reasons for his decision, spoke on the influence of his family, and how he hopes to make an impact in 2025.
Boak on his decision to play on in 2025
“Yeah, it was obviously a big decision. I think once the season finished, had a little bit to get through. Obviously, the emotion of losing the prelim and then yeah, was the body going to hold up for another year, mentally, physically? Am I still capable? All those things. I think as you get older, a lot of doubt creeps in. So just being able to manage that, and even throughout this year, I was torn sometimes – do I want to play on, do I not? And thinking about the pros and cons and certainly the pros outweighed the cons, and I'll be really excited for another year, and I think our group's in a great position. We'll have some new additions come in and I'll be ready to go.”
Boak on making the decision with his family
“Mum's always been super supportive, along with both my sisters and (brother-in-law) Bemo now, and they just wanted what was best for me. And I think we sort of had a deeper conversation around, you know, how mentally is it going to affect me playing on again? And they knew that I was excited for that challenge and it wouldn't drain me. So once I sort of made that decision to go on, they were really excited for that. The only thing mum was disappointed with is she's gonna have to pay for more flights throughout the year because she won't miss a game! They're all really excited to continue to come to the footy.”
Boak on 2025 for Port Adelaide
“Obviously, the ultimate success is what we're chasing. I think we've got a great group to do it, where our young guys are still really young, and they're developing and only getting better and still learning. So to be a part of that, add some new pieces into the group, to continue to get better. We finished in the prelim with a young group. I think we continue to learn and improve, learn how to be better athletes, to be better people. The sky's the limit.”
Boak on Dan Houston’s departure and the recent trade period
“Obviously sad to see Dan go, as a teammate, but as a friend as well. And we'll definitely miss him, and I'll miss him as a friend, but we'll continue to stay in touch, and I hope he has a great year at Collingwood. But that's part of footy, and probably the modern day game there's a lot more movement. But for us, we'll add some key pieces back into the group, and I think so far, Joe, Jack and Rory will make great additions into our group, along with our draft hand. I think our club's been great at targeting strong drafts, and this is going to be another one. And I think we're in a good position to get some good young kids in. And what we've got right now is a great young core, and if we continue to add to that, our future looks really bright. So it's going to be exciting to be a part of that.”
Boak on his own goals for 2025
“I think for me, certainly over the last few years, my goal has just been to be the best version of me I possibly can be, and this off-season will be about continuing to improve again, mentally and physically, and come back into great shape and again throughout the year, can I be a good teammate and a good fit for this group? And I think part of that is also then helping the younger core, whether that's through leadership, training, performance standards, all that kind of stuff that I really enjoy, that'll be a big part of you know, why I wanted to play on and certainly a part of how I review my weeks and my year as well.”
