Port Adelaide veteran Travis Boak admits it would be a “dream” to bow out with a premiership, but there’s still plenty of work to come for his side after they racked up their 10th straight win.
Boak, a former captain of the Power, was one of his side’s best in Friday night’s win over the Western Bulldogs, racking up 27 touches – 15 of those contested in a team-high stat, four tackles, four clearances and four score involvements.
Fox Footy’s Garry Lyon said he could see a Boak finish in a Shane Crawford-like glory in his final season, if the competition’s “smiling assassins” were to continue with their remarkable run of form.
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“I’m just looking Travis Boak – I could almost see Shane Crawford’s face is super imposed on it,” he said.
“The super veteran Crawf is one of the few that went out of the game at the absolute zenith.
“Travis Boak is a star in every single way, on and off the field.
“He’s been captain, he’s a leader.
Port ‘significantly keen’ on star | 00:49
“They’ve tried to play him in different positions and it didn’t work. Comes back, dominates the competition and now it looks like his swan song is going to be as good as the rest of his career.
“When the game’s on the line has 13 (disposals) in the last quarter – 10 contested and three clearances.
“The best teams in the comp are the happiest teams … and the happiness came before they got on this kind of roll (of wins).
“They are the smiling assassins.
“They are laughing and carrying on and then they just slice ya!”
Speaking after the win over the Dogs, Boak said he hoped to ride out on a high like Crawford did at the Hawks in 2008.
“That’s certainly been the dream for a long time,” he said.
“There’s no doubt we’ve got a talented group – but there’s still a lot to play out.
“These moments are what I enjoy the most … coming into the rooms after a win, the young boys putting on their tracks, just a lot of fun.
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“Being a part of that – I don’t know how long I’ve got left but that enjoyment is why you play footy. Hopefully there’s a premiership cup at the back end of it.
“These are the moments that I love.
“It’s all dance music (laughs), I’ve got no idea what’s going on but I just try to get involved.”
Boak paid tribute to the club’s youngsters including Connor Rozee and Zak Butters for their willingness to improve week after week.
“The one thing that stands out with our young boys is how competitive they are. They hate to lose. They want to get better every week. You get out there and they want to win, they want to compete,” he said.
“They are building confidence off the back of that.
“We’ve got a lot of confidence in our game… the results are sort of taking care of themselves.”
And he paid tribute to sidelined skipper Tom Jonas, who was again overlooked for the clash with the Dogs.
“No doubt it’s been tough for him. As the skipper he wants to be out there leading the boys and playing good footy,” he said.
Port welcome back stars for Dogs clash | 01:09
“Skip hasn’t quite been able to get back in the side.
“What I will say about Tommy is how well he’s led despite those challenges and I think that’s the beauty of the club and the group at the moment.
“The humility he has to continue on and lead the way, it’s inspiring.”
The Power have now won 10 straight games – a club record, and a stunning nine straight at Marvel Stadium.
The next closest win streak at Marvel belongs to Essendon with just three.
The Power will return home to Adelaide to face the Cats in a Thursday night blockbuster next week before heading into their bye in Round 15.
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