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PORT Adelaide midfielder Travis Boak has reaffirmed his commitment and loyalty to the club by signing a contract extension until the end of 2014.
The Power’s vice-captain said he was delighted to re-sign with the club, after being faced with the option of a move to Victoria to be closer to his mother and two sisters.
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“I’m so relieved to have got the deal done after what has at times been a challenging year for me personally and for the club,” Boak told Port Adelaide members in an email ahead of today’s announcement.
“The big decision I had to make was whether to return home to be closer to my family (in Victoria) or stay at the club I love. I’ve been in regular contact with my mum and sisters about my future and they’ve been unbelievably supportive with the decision that I’ve made.”
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Beyond his passion for Port Adelaide, the 24-year-old also said he was buoyed by the future direction at Alberton.
“The last two years doesn’t reflect the talent of our group and I think we’re going to realise our potential in the near future. I’m very excited about what lies ahead and that was another major factor in my decision to stay,” Boak said.
Port Adelaide general manager football Peter Rohde said the club was delighted to have re-signed Boak given his exceptional qualities as both a player and a person.
“Travis is obviously a key player for our club who has an amazing work rate, wins a lot of the ball both inside and out and generates a lot of inside 50s for our forwards,” Rohde said.
“He is an important part of our leadership group, is extremely popular around the club and drives the standards for our entire playing group through the way he trains and prepares.”
Rohde explained that while negotiations were protracted he was never in doubt that Boak would continue his career at Alberton.
“We got a clear indication several weeks ago that Travis wanted to stay and we had been working through some details since that point,” Rohde said.
“After the departure of Matthew Primus as senior coach Travis naturally wanted to get some clarity on where the club was heading.
“His intention was never to wait until our new coach was appointed but he just wanted to understand the senior coach selection process and how the football department would generally be resourced moving forward.
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“All the way through Travis maintained that he wanted to play for Port Adelaide, he loved the club and was excited by its direction. And even though he is away from his family, he also really enjoys living in Adelaide,” Rohde said.
Boak thanked the club’s supporters, team mates and coaches for the outstanding support and patience they have provided.
“I’ve had a huge amount of support from a lot of different people this year,” Boak said.
“Our supporters have just been fantastic. I’ve been getting a lot of well wishes through Twitter, Facebook and even letters being sent into the club which has been quite overwhelming.
“And the support I’ve had from the coaches, my team mates and staff has been terrific. At no stage did they put pressure on but allowed me time and space which really helped in my decision process.”
Boak’s commitment comes just days after the Power re-signed emerging players Jasper Pittard, Jarred Redden, Aaron Young and Cameron O’Shea for a further two years. Earlier in the season, Hamish Hartlett, Matthew Broadbent, Paul Stewart and captain Dom Cassisi also re-committed to the club.
Boak has played 108 games since making his debut in 2007 after originally being drafted via pick five at the 2006 AFL National Draft.
In 2009, Boak was awarded the Gavin Wanganeen Medal as the club’s best rising talent. A year later he polled a club high 16 votes at the Brownlow Medal and then enjoyed a stellar individual season in 2011 when he claimed the club’s best and fairest award as joint winner with Jackson Trengove.
During the lead to up to this season, Boak’s outstanding leadership skills came to the fore and he was subsequently promoted to vice-captain duties in February.