Port Adelaide veteran Travis Boak will break a long-standing record this Saturday at Adelaide Oval as he overtakes Russell Ebert for most games played for the club. 

In a testament to his longevity and professionalism, the 36-year-old will play game 393 (373 AFL games + 20 official pre-season games, as recorded by the AFL), adding to a long list of accolades already to his name. 

Boak addressed the Adelaide media on Wednesday alongside Russell’s son Brett Ebert, to talk about the upcoming game, how he’s lasted so long in football, and what Russell means to the Port Adelaide community. 

Boak on surpassing Russell Ebert’s games record 
“I think this one is something I'll look back on and be really proud of. And it is a special moment, mainly because of what Russell meant to this footy club, meant to me, meant to the playing group, meant to so many people in this community. I just see myself as a player that's been fortunate enough to represent the footy club and to be next to the names like Russell Ebert is pretty special and, yeah, something that I'll definitely look back on with pride.” 

Boak on his memories of Russell Ebert  
“I recall going on community camps and stuff like that and all you’d ever hear from people out in the community was ‘Russ was my favourite player, Russ was amazing’. And it wasn't just about his footy, but the person he was and how he represented himself and the footy club is what makes him special, and it's the legacy he's left at the footy club, and pretty much what I now call ‘human being first, athlete second’ is about being a good person and representing community. And that's what he did for this footy club, and inspired so many who came after him.” 

Boak on being inspired by Russell Ebert 
“I think you get that from the moment you walk in the door, and that's the legacy that he's left for the Port Adelaide Footy Club. And I think everyone who represents this guernsey and walks into this footy club, coaches this footy club, or is a part of the footy club, has got that within them thanks to Russell Ebert. And it's about the legacy of being a good person and how we can impact our community, and then going out there and representing the footy club and giving our all.” 

Boak on leaving his own legacy for the football club 
“(It feels) very strange. I certainly don't consider myself, you know, up there with the names of Russell Ebert and the greats of this footy club. And, yeah, I just love playing footy, and love playing for this club, and it's a great honour to represent it.” 

Boak on who he has coming to the game this weekend 
“Yeah, I think mum's rounding up a few tickets. I'll have some family coming over. Couple can't make it, but there'll be a fair few there, which will be really nice.” 

Boak on his longevity  
“I think the thing that I've started to learn, probably more so over the last four or five years, is I need to adapt and change. Understand where the game's going, understand where I need to go, my body, my mind, whatever it is, what I did six, seven, eight years ago is different to what I need to do now. The mental challenge of it is different. My purpose is different now to what it was, and I think that's what gives me excitement and gives me enjoyment. The body part of it I enjoy, like the management of my body and my health is something I enjoy. The mental challenge is the one that can be tricky if you don't get right, and if you're not enjoying it, you're not going to be still playing. And I still really enjoy it, and with that is what is my purpose now to what it was back then is completely different.” 

Boak on the thought of 400 games 
“Nah (I haven’t thought about it) at all, honestly, my focus throughout the offseason and the pre-season was about this year and making sure that this is a big year and I can impact the footy club and the playing group on field and off field in a big way. And that's all my focus has been. I haven't really focused on any amount of games yet.” 

Boak on having an element of luck over his career 
“Oh, there's no doubt you need an element of it, for sure, whether that's your team to go through a year without injuries, or personally, you need it as well, but there's only so much you can do to give yourself a chance to play well and prepare, and then there's a side of it you can't control, and that's injuries. So I've definitely had an ounce of luck along the way as well, and fortunate enough and grateful enough to be able to play a majority of the games throughout the 19 years.” 

Boak on being motivated to turn last weekend’s result around 
“I mean, the motivation comes from wanting to respond from last week. It was really disappointing. Those games, you’ve got to take a lot of lessons from and we did that. We had some good discussions. Training was outstanding today, and the boys are ready to go for Saturday, and looking forward to playing in front of our home fans for the first time this year, and getting a win.” 

Boak on being at Adelaide Oval for his record-breaking moment 
“My last one (game 350) was against Richmond too. So it will be really nice, like the fans over the years have been amazing for me. The support I've had, you know, whether it be through messages, through support at training and at games has been outstanding. So to be able to play in front of our fans in a milestone is going to be really special. And one thing I've learned, I think, over the last several years, is that milestones aren't about you, they're about the people that help you get there. And certainly, the fans have been amazing support for me. So I'll be more about thanking them on Saturday and Russ, what he did for this footy club than it is about me.” 

Boak on learning from the low times 
“That's just part of the journey. Whether it's life or footy, there's always going to be there's always going to be down points, and being able to accept and understand that that's part of the journey, and learning from them is really valuable. And to go through those challenging years as a footy club, certainly in you know 2010, 2011, 2012, to learn how to train better, how to represent each other better. And when Kenny came in and made a lot of changes, you know, we probably wouldn't have been able to go forward if we didn't learn from those times. And yeah, sort of grateful to go through it. Unfortunate that we did, but we certainly learned as a footy club, and we're in a better place today because of it.” 

Boak on his commitment to being better all the time 
“I think it's part of trying to be the best athlete you can. I think understanding that it takes a lot of discipline, and being uncomfortable a lot. I think early days, I didn't really know that as much, but I've been really fortunate to learn from some great people within the club and outside the club what it does take to be a good athlete. And yeah, I'm pretty meticulous about things that I have to do and want to do just to give myself a chance. And I think a lot of our guys are like that, and certainly our younger guys are really on top of that at a young age, which is incredible, and that's why I think the club's in great hands. You do have to learn it, for sure, but then it's the discipline to want to go out and do it. And we have a lot of young kids that are in that space, and they're learning and want to be the best they possibly can be, and understand what it takes.” 

Boak on his support of Ken Hinkley  
“Oh, 100 per cent(we take criticism toward Ken personally). I reckon everyone in this footy club, everyone in the playing group does. Only because he's meant so much for this playing group, and he's given his heart and soul to this footy club and this playing group. And, yeah, it's frustrating when we put out a performance like that, and Kenny gets talked about, for sure. I think he understands it's part of the job and AFL senior coaching is one of the hardest jobs you can do. But for sure, our players absolutely love him.” 

Brett Ebert on Boak overtaking his dad’s milestone 
“Obviously, it's amazing. I'd love dad to be here talking about Trav and all that he's done for the club. I think everyone knows what he does, obviously, on the field, you know, and sees him as a player, but the stuff he does off the field is just unbelievable. That's what I remember dad as, you know, because (I was) pretty young when he finished, I noticed all the work he did off the field and with the community, and with the charities, and, you know, with the people less fortunate than himself. So I see all that in Trav, and I've mentioned it before a few years ago, that the way Trav goes about it, and his professionalism, and the work he does off the field, is what sets him apart. Games aside, he's played a lot and so did dad, but you know, it's more than that. It's more about the person he is that we should really celebrate.” 

“(Russell) would love (that it’s Travis overtaking his record). Absolutely love it. Obviously, dad spent a lot of time with Trav when he was at the club, and I got to spend some time with Trav as well, so we know the person that he is, and Dad would be so proud. I know mum and the rest of the family are so proud that it’s Trav. And I was thinking about it the other day, and you could get any supporter from any club walk past Trav, and everyone's got the respect for him and loves him. You know, some people dislike other players from other teams, but I don't think there's one person that doesn't like Trav. And dad was the same, you know, playing for the Magpies. Not many people like the Magpies, except Magpies people, but the respect that everyone had for Dad, whether it was a Sturt or a Norwood supporter, they always loved dad and respected him for what he did.” 

Brett Ebert on celebrating Boak’s record 
“We're all going to head to the game, which will be fantastic. Mum's had a few health battles lately, so she won't be attending, but she just wanted to pass on that she's so proud of what Trav’s done and what the Port Adelaide Footy Club continue to do. It's a real family-orientated club, and that's what the way it's always going to be.” 

Brett Ebert on what he thought of Boak from early in his career 
“Oh, he was ready to play. His professionalism was second- to-none to begin with. And he was one of those young guys that come into the club and it felt like he'd been there for 10 years. It was a pretty good year that we had, disappointing (way) to finish it. But I think the experience that Travis got from that…and he played a couple of SANFL games, but I don't remember him playing as SANFL, he was just literally straight in the AFL team and away he went. And such a good year with Robbie Gray and Justin Westhoff, and Stewy (Paul Stewart) was around there as well. So you can see that over the years, the success we've had is built on that draft, to be honest.” 

Brett Ebert on Boak’s longevity  
“It's a lot of games, and it's a lot of years, and then you go, well, if you have a few injuries, or if something doesn't go right with your form…I knew he was going to play a lot of games, but, to Trav’s credit, I think it's the professionalism. (Russell) was probably before his time with his off field work and all the rehab that he did. He enjoyed a beer in the early days, but knuckled down, and I hear from some of his teammates how professional he was, and that's exactly what Trav is. You know, an ounce of luck here and there with injuries, but just gave himself every opportunity to play good footy and play for a long time.”  

Brett Ebert on his dad’s legacy 
“Yeah, I think it honestly feels like he's still here. It's a bit of a strange one, whether you haven't come to terms with it, or whether it's people still, and always will talk about him a lot, so I think you've just got to embrace that and feel like he's here and he's always watching.” 

Brett Ebert on Boak’s loyalty to Port Adelaide 
“Yeah I was going to touch on that. I think Trav’s loyalty to the club. And I know people that he that he works with off field as well for his rehab and for his treatment, and the loyalty that he's shown to the club is second-to-none. Obviously, the club is a fantastic club and a real family orientated club, but when you're living somewhere else, you may have times where you want to get home and be with your family and you know he's had some family things come up as well. So for him to stay, and for his family coming all the time and supporting him, and the loyalty that he's shown, I think Port Adelaide Footy Club’s very lucky to have him.”