Travis Boak

Travis Alexander Boak[1] (born 1 August 1988) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Port Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Boak captained the club from 2013 to 2018, and is the club's AFL games record holder with 348 games. He is also a three-time All-Australian, dual John Cahill Medallist and three-time Showdown Medallist.

Travis Boak
Boak playing for Port Adelaide in 2023
Personal information
Full name Travis Alexander Boak
Date of birth (1988-08-01) 1 August 1988
Place of birth Geelong, Victoria
Original team(s) Geelong Falcons (TAC Cup)
Draft No. 5, 2006 national draft
Debut Round 12, 2007, Port Adelaide vs. Essendon, at AAMI Stadium
Height 184 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight 85 kg (187 lb)
Position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current club Port Adelaide
Number 10
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2007– Port Adelaide 348 (204)
Representative team honours
Years Team Games (Goals)
2020 Victoria 1 (0)
International team honours
2014, 2017 Australia 3 (0)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of the 2023 season.
2 State and international statistics correct as of 2020.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

AFL career
Boak playing in 2017
Boak playing in 2021

Boak was selected with Port Adelaide's first selection and fifth overall in the 2006 AFL draft from the Geelong Falcons in the TAC Cup. He made his AFL debut in a 31-point victory in round 12 of the 2007 season against Essendon. Boak continued to rise since his debut, accumulating 23 possessions against the Western Bulldogs in only his third match. The following week, against Richmond, Boak kicked his first ever AFL goal. In round 19 against Carlton, he earned a NAB Rising Star nomination for his 28 possessions and 2 goals. Boak went on to play in the Port Adelaide team which competed in the 2007 AFL Grand Final against Geelong, losing by a record margin. At the start of 2008, Boak picked up where he left off, playing a greater role in the Port Adelaide midfield alongside senior players such as Domenic Cassisi, Kane Cornes and Shaun Burgoyne. He played in 17 games and averaged 20.1 disposals. Boak continued to improve in 2009 winning the Gavin Wanganeen Medal and averaging 23.7 disposals for the season.

The 2010 season was Boak's best season to date with a career best average of 23 possessions per game. His season ended with a flourish when he kicked three goals in each of the final two rounds. He became the first-tagged player in the Port Adelaide midfield and finished the season with 16 Brownlow Medal votes. The 2011 season saw Boak play in 21 games and lead the club in disposals (458), clearances (79) and inside 50s (85). He along with Jackson Trengove were jointly crowned the John Cahill Medallist, the first time that there had been a tie at the club's best and fairest award since 1893.[2]

For the 2013 season, Boak was announced as the captain of the club, therefore replacing his number 10 guernsey with number 1, in accordance with Port Adelaide tradition.[3] 2013 was considered to be Boak's best AFL season up to that point, with an average of 25.3 disposals a game, and kicking a season best of 20 goals. He was named in the 2013 All-Australian team. In 2014, Boak continued where he left off from 2013, averaging a career best 26.6 disposals a game and tolling a season best 21 Brownlow votes to finish equal 4th. He was named in the 2014 All-Australian team, his second consecutive selection.

Boak shifted between the midfield and half-forward over the following few seasons. In 2019, after stepping down from the captaincy at the end of the previous season, Boak made a permanent shift back to the midfield, enjoying career-best numbers.[4][5] He played his 250th match in the Power's loss to Collingwood in round 7, becoming the fourth player to play 250 AFL matches for the club.[6] Boak would go on to win his second John Cahill Medal after averaging a career-best 30 disposals,[7][8] before having a shoulder operation in the off-season.[9]

Upon the resumption of the 2020 season after it was curtailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Boak gathered 24 disposals and a goal in Port Adelaide's record-breaking 75-point Showdown win in round 2 to win his second Showdown Medal.[10] He went on to have a career-best season, earning selection as vice-captain in the 2020 All-Australian team[11] and finishing second and third respectively in votes for the Leigh Matthews Trophy and AFLCA champion player of the year award.[12] He also finished as runner-up in the 2020 Brownlow Medal with an equal-career-high 21 votes, ten votes behind winner Lachie Neale.[13][14][15][16][17]

Boak played his 300th match, also against Collingwood, in round 19 of the 2021 season; he recorded 30 disposals[18] as he equalled the club's AFL games record held by Kane Cornes.[19][20] The next week he broke the club record in a 27-point win over GWS. Following the 2021 home-and-away season, Boak was awarded the Jim Stynes Community Leadership Award as recognition for his work with the Childhood Cancer Association. Following almost 12 years of work with the association, Boak regularly volunteers his time to visit children and teens in hospitals. He played a key role in raising more than $1m annually via their ‘Captain for a Day’ experiences, which allows a young patient to experience the inner sanctum of the Port Adelaide Football Club.[21]

Statistics

Updated to the end of the 2023 season.[22]

Legend
  G  
 Goals
  K  
 Kicks
  D  
 Disposals 
  T  
 Tackles
  B  
 Behinds 
  H  
 Handballs 
  M  
 Marks
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game) Votes
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
2007Port Adelaide10 144310112422551380.30.27.28.916.13.62.70
2008Port Adelaide10 179417516734288640.50.210.39.820.15.23.82
2009Port Adelaide10 187522320442781730.40.312.411.323.74.54.15
2010Port Adelaide10 201312247207454701220.70.612.410.422.73.56.116
2011Port Adelaide10 2112623622245876980.60.311.210.621.83.64.74
2012Port Adelaide10 1891123918642547660.50.613.310.323.62.63.76
2013Port Adelaide1 23201331526658199960.90.613.711.625.34.34.213
2014Port Adelaide1 2419626637864488920.80.311.115.826.83.73.821
2015Port Adelaide1 221314252310562701200.60.611.514.125.63.25.516
2016Port Adelaide1 221710252274526681030.80.511.512.523.93.14.77
2017Port Adelaide1 221913227268495105990.90.610.312.822.54.84.510
2018Port Adelaide1 22191323824348186940.90.610.811.121.93.94.32
2019Port Adelaide10 211013306331637701020.50.614.615.830.33.34.916
2020[lower-alpha 1]Port Adelaide10 198821721943651720.40.411.411.522.92.73.821
2021Port Adelaide10 23818305335640671100.30.813.314.627.82.94.825
2022Port Adelaide10 21101025031256286850.50.511.914.926.84.14.010
2023Port Adelaide10 217617316233560580.30.38.27.716.02.92.80
Career 348204165402242088230126314920.60.511.612.123.63.64.3174

Notes

  1. The 2020 season was played with 17 home-and-away matches per team (down from 22) and 16-minute quarters with time on (down from 20-minute quarters with time on) due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Honours and achievements
Boak representing Victoria in the State of Origin for Bushfire Relief Match in 2020

Team

Individual

References
  1. Gill, Katrina (28 October 2008). "Q & A with Travis Boak". Australian Football League. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  2. "Historic Tie in Medal". Port Adelaide. 16 September 2011. Retrieved 20 July 2010.
  3. "Boak to lead new era at Port Adelaide". 30 January 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  4. Gaskin, Lee (26 April 2019). "The masterstroke that has Power veteran in Brownlow mix". afl.com.au. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
  5. Gaskin, Lee (1 May 2019). "Boak relishing not being Power's beast of burden". afl.com.au. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
  6. Guthrie, Ben (3 May 2019). "Pies win big after scintillating start renders Port powerless". afl.com.au. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
  7. Whiting, Michael (5 October 2019). "Port veteran clinches second B&F award - eight years after his first". afl.com.au. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  8. Colangelo, Anthony (4 October 2019). "Boak wins second Power best and fairest". The Age. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  9. Gaskin, Lee (20 January 2020). "No problem for rising Power mid Houston after knee issue". afl.com.au. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  10. McGowan, Marc (13 June 2020). "Renewable Power source: Young guns provide spark in big Showdown win". afl.com.au. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  11. Beveridge, Riley (24 September 2020). "All-Australian team: Danger joins greats, 12 fresh faces". afl.com.au. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  12. Beveridge, Riley (24 September 2020). "King of the AFL jungle: Star Lion crowned coaches, players' MVP". afl.com.au. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  13. Beveridge, Riley (18 October 2020). "Lion king: Lachie Neale wins 2020 Brownlow Medal". afl.com.au. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  14. Waterworth, Ben (18 October 2020). "It's a landslide! Lions star Neale claims crushing Brownlow win to cap stunning season". Fox Sports (Australia). Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  15. McMurty, Andrew (18 October 2020). "Brisbane Lions' Lachie Neale wins 2020 Brownlow Medal". News.com.au. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  16. Bilter, Dean (18 October 2020). "Lachie Neale wins Brownlow Medal as AFL's best and fairest ahead of Travis Boak, Jack Steele and Christian Petracca". ABC News (Australia). Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  17. O'Donoghue, Craig (18 October 2020). "Ex-Docker now Lion Lachie Neale claims 2020 Brownlow Medal". The West Australian. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  18. Schmook, Nathan (23 July 2021). "Power forwards fire on Boak's big night". afl.com.au. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  19. Australian Associated Press (22 July 2021). "'It was a rollercoaster day': Boak's bizarre lead-up to 300 milestone". afl.com.au. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  20. Cleary, Mitch (23 July 2021). "Kicking down the 300-game door: Boak's post-30 form explosion explained". afl.com.au. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  21. "Community Leadership Award". Jim Stynes Foundation. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  22. "Travis Boak". AFL Tables. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
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