Australian Football
Australian AFL Travis Boak calls it a day, eyes future.
After 19 years at the top, Travis Boak prepares for his final game in black, white & teal - embracing the unknown ahead while reflecting on mateship, legacy, and the dream that began in Torquay.
The transition from AFL Player to an everyday life is one well documented- with many openly speaking about the hole left to fill once they leave the changerooms for the final time.
This isn’t something Travis Boak is concerned about, he’s ready to embrace his next chapter with open arms.
The truth is, he isn’t sure what that is just yet, and he’s ok with that.
After nineteen years of being told exactly where to be every day, he’s excited by the prospect of going with the flow.
But he’s still got one last game to play in the black, white, and teal, and it hasn’t quite sunk in yet.
“The Tuesday that I announced it was a full-on day. I couldn't sleep the night before. I was dreading it,” Boak says,
“But once I announced it, it was like a weight off my shoulders.
“The last couple of weeks, I've just wanted to go out there and perform and play, win, all the stuff that I have my whole career.
“I'm sure it'll sink in, driving to the game, seeing my family, and hearing the crowd- Certainly after the game, I'll be a little bit emotional, but right now, it still feels like business as usual.”
Travis Boak poses for portrait in the Adelaide Oval change rooms
© David Solm / Red Bull Content Pool
After almost two decades of committing his time, passion, and headspace to the game he loves, it was time for him to hang up the boots.
“I wouldn't say (it was based on) enjoyment, I still love playing footy, but my drive to want to be the best and go out there and perform wasn't as high as it was the last four or five years,” he reflects.
“My excitement has moved to something different: what's next for me, what can I do now to help others in this space? That drive that I had to perform and become the best athlete I could is now in a different space.
“That helped me decide that, okay, this is the right time to hang them up.”
Former skipper, winner of two John Cahill Medals, three All-Australian blazers and runner-up in the Brownlow Medal count in 2020, the 37-year-old has a stacked trophy cabinet to look at, however, as with so much of life, it’s the everyday moments that will be the biggest loss.
“The thing I'll miss the most, and that was the hardest thing to talk about, was the boys- the playing group,” he says.
“Being able to walk into the club, and just talk a bit of smack with the boys, then coming off after a game, whether it's a win or a loss, and you're sitting in the change rooms and you're all in there, it’s like a little group you've got there, sharing emotions together.
“They've always been great supporters of me, and we've always had a close group. So, I'm going to miss that. I'm going to miss hanging around them a lot.”
Boak grew up on Victoria’s Surf Coast in the surf town of Torquay, a place he says holds a big place in his heart.
It’s something that almost saw him return to Victoria when Port Adelaide were struggling on and off the field.
“The pull to go home was real,” he concedes.
“I had mum and my sisters back there and I love Torquay. But I wanted to stay. I couldn’t leave a club in such a bad position. Mum and dad taught me better than that, to not walk away when things were bad.
“I had some of my best mates here too, Robbie, Paul Stewart- I couldn’t just bail, and that’s what it felt like I’d be doing.
“The decision to stay was about wanting to help change Port Adelaide, get it back to where it needed to be, make a difference at the club and in the community. We didn’t quite get to the ultimate success, but hopefully I left the club in a better place.”
Travis Boak poses at mural in Adelaide
© Harrison Mielke / Red Bull Content Pool
The yearning for home is still present but whether that’s where he ends up is still in flux.
“I haven't really thought too much into where I'll be, say January next year,” he admits.
“I just want to go on a little holiday, get a break, clear the head a little bit, and work through what it is that I'm passionate about next.
“Part of that is still staying in footy in some capacity, whether that's at the club or somewhere else, I'm not sure yet, but I want to stay in the performance coaching, life coaching space.
“That’s where I'm passionate and where I've learned a lot of my own stuff and now want to share what I've learned with other people.
“So, I'm not sure where that's going to take me, but right now I need a little holiday and hopefully that'll clear the head a little bit.”
It’s this acknowledgement of the importance to take stock, and use this life change as an opportunity to reassess that has held him in such high regard across the AFL world for so long.
“It's going to just feel so weird, 19 years of football and constant training, which I've absolutely loved, just trying to push myself to the limit as much as I can.
“I haven’t really had a guilt-free holiday for 19 years.
“But my eyes and ears are open to everything that's next, and that's really exciting.”
Travis Boak poses for portrait on the Adelaide Oval grounds
© David Solm / Red Bull Content Pool
When Port Adelaide run out onto Adelaide Oval on Friday night, a feeling Boak says he will miss, there are things he will reflect on in that moment.
“I can still remember my debut,” he says.
“I know it was 19 years ago, but my whole dream was to play AFL football. Growing up as a kid, you kick the footy in the backyard, pretend to be an AFL player.
“To get the call to say you’re playing your first game is just the most memorable moment. As an 18-year-old, you're still a little bit blasé to it all. But you look back and go, wow, that was the dream I had as a kid.”