PORT ADELAIDE senior coach Ken Hinkley has praised Travis Boak’s loyalty and leadership ahead of his 250th AFL match against Collingwood on Friday night.

Boak was drafted to Port in the 2006 national draft, and Hinkley says he is so proud of the leader he has become at Alberton.

“It’s incredible, I’m really proud of Trav,” Hinkley said at his weekly pre-match press conference on Thursday morning.

“I’ve been lucky enough to be involved with him for 6 plus years now, and clearly one of the best decisions I made in football was to appoint him captain of this footy club.

“He’s been such a great player for us and such a great teammate for his teammates.

“Such an incredible leader of our football club who made a stand on what he loved about Port Adelaide and stayed with the club.”

The senior coach also had a lot of admiration for the way his defensive group has played so far in season 2019, despite the lack of publicity they receive outside of South Australia.

“They are (household names) at Port Adelaide,” he said.

“That’s sometimes an advantage - you tend to be out of sight out of mind a little.

“For us, we have been really comfortable with the development of our young backline for the best part of the last 18 months.

“They have taken another step up this year by the look of them this year and they will have to continue to take steps up for us to become a really strong football team.”

Hinkley believes the defensive rise coincides with the form of key defender Tom Clurey.

“He’s moved into another bracket, I think Tommy, he’s moved up into a high-level defender now,” he said.

“He was probably an emerging defender perhaps through the back end of last year.

“I think he has consolidated that and he’s moved into a really, really reliable and good player for us now.

“He’s a top-class defender for us.”

The Power travelled to Melbourne on Thursday ahead of Friday night’s blockbuster Round 7 clash with the Magpies at Marvel Stadium.