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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PORT Adelaide veteran Travis Boak has never forgotten his roots in Torquay, nor the people who helped him make it to the AFL.<\/p>\n
Boak, who played his 300th game at the weekend, had anything but a smooth preparation in the days beforehand.<\/p>\n
Originally bound for Melbourne, the Power initially prepared to board a 4pm flight on Tuesday last week to dodge South Australia\u2019s hard lockdown but were asked to wait to enable a Showdown match against Adelaide, before ultimately travelling to Victoria and playing in an empty Marvel Stadium against Collingwood on Friday night.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was some sort of rollercoaster day when we found out we were going to Melbourne, then told to cancel plans and to stay put but then it was back on again,\u201d Boak said on Thursday last week.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just so grateful to play for this footy club for one game, let alone 300.\u201d<\/p>\n
He rated his AFL debut \u2013 at AAMI Park in 2007 \u2013 as one of the highlights of his career and \u201ca dream come true\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving my family and friends all come over from Torquay, we got the win \u2026 I\u2019ll remember that one forever.\u201d<\/p>\n
Boak\u2019s mother Chicki, eldest sister and aunt drove to Adelaide last week just before SA\u2019s border closed to Victoria but came home once the game was moved.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was able to spend a few days with them, which was great,\u201d Boak said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were obviously planning to come to the game in Adelaide \u2026 but we had a good chat during a family dinner and kind of celebrated in some way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Port Adelaide took Boak with pick five in the 2006 draft, not long after his father Roger died of cancer.<\/p>\n
Boak said he could \u201ctalk forever\u201d about Chicki and how important she had been to him.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a pretty tough journey \u2013 leaving home when I was 18, leaving Mum and my sisters was one of the most challenging times of my life, and Mum being able to support my sisters back there (in Torquay) and also not miss a game of footy (of mine) has just been incredible,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s been able to be able to support me through everything that I\u2019ve been through and the challenges I\u2019ve faced, Mum\u2019s always been there to lend an ear or fly over or drive over to be there for me. Even growing up, it was the support of driving me to games and being the ear to talk to about footy when Dad wasn\u2019t there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chicki said she was proud of her son.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo reach such an incredible milestone for all that he\u2019s been through in his life, it\u2019s pretty amazing,\u201d she said on Monday this week.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt shows the type of character he has.\u201d<\/p>\n
She nearly ended up watching the game live at Marvel Stadium after radio station SEN offered her a spot in the commentary box.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe AFL had approved it, but then revoked it at the last minute, that was sort of disappointing. I had my hopes up, but it wasn\u2019t to be,\u201d Chicki said.<\/p>\n
Boak has frequently said he plans to return to Torquay and play for the Tigers seniors in his dad\u2019s #5 jumper once his AFL career is over.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe does keep saying that, but we\u2019ll wait and see,\u201d Chicki said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PORT Adelaide veteran Travis Boak has never forgotten his roots in Torquay, nor the people who helped him make it to the AFL. Boak, who played his 300th game at the weekend, had anything but a smooth preparation in the days beforehand. Originally bound for Melbourne, the Power initially prepared to board a 4pm flight […]<\/p>\n