Power star Travis Boak talks isolation, personal motivation and his special bond with former teammate Steven Salopek that lives on at Alberton
Travis Boak and Steven Salopek both lost parents growing up. The shared tragedies saw the two connect while at Port Adelaide in 2006 and forged a lasting friendship that motivates the former Power skipper even to this day.
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Three weeks ago Travis Boak did something very un-Travis Boak like.
Port Adelaide’s reigning club champion – who is so meticulous with his preparation and physical condition that he even put a recovery sauna in his backyard – went to the fridge, cracked a beer and sat on the couch. For a week.
“Once we found out the season was postponed, the first week for me was about switching off and getting my head around what was going on,” Boak told The Advertiser.
“I didn’t have anything planned, I just had a week where I ate what I want, had a couple of beers and played PlayStation, and let the mind relax.
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“In the past it would have been hard to do that definitely, I would have felt like I had to do more, but now I’ve been able to switch off a lot easier and let go of the footy environment.
“I knew we wouldn’t be playing for a while, best case scenario was eight weeks, so that first week making sure mum and my family were going well and little things were in place in my life that were most important, and not worry about footy or training.”
But a week later, he flicked the switch.
“I did a bit of cleaning, cleared out the garage and started training and put a bit of routine in place – wake up, get in my home gym and train from there,” Boak said.
“Now, it’s about making sure I’m in the best state physically and mentally and getting ahead of the game really, it’s a chance to improve myself as a person and a player, my fitness and mindset.
“It’s a tough time for the whole of society, but I’ve also seen it as an opportunity to grow.”
The 31-year-old briefly toyed with the idea of going home to Torquay during the AFL’s coronavirus shutdown, but instead stayed in Adelaide and FaceTimed his family for Easter.
“The human interaction is the one thing you miss the most,” Boak said.
“I did contemplate it (going to Victoria) because I knew I wouldn’t be able to see mum and my oldest sister for a while, so I wanted to get back there, but knowing we’d be out of training for a while I wanted to make sure I had the right facilities to keep fit here.
“I’m sure mum will FaceTime me and we’ll have a few Easter eggs.
“I’ve probably eaten a little bit too much chocolate already the last couple of weeks, which I don’t normally do, but I’ve enjoyed it.”
When he was finally allowed out of the house last Sunday as the Power’s 14-day home isolation ended, Boak didn’t put his running shoes on but instead went for a coffee, did the groceries and cleaned the house.
“It was Sunday so it just seemed right,” he said.
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Boak’s typical day now has him trying to do something each morning – run, lift weights, stretch, pilates or get in his sauna and pool.
“It’s a bit easier to train because you get out of bed and roll into your little set-up,” he said.
“I’ll get up in the morning and do my running, have some breakfast, chill out and have a coffee, do my gym session then a bit of recovery.
“I’m usually done by mid-arvo and can relax for the rest of the day, bit of PlayStation or my sister bought some puzzles, but I’m not patient enough for those.”
Boak’s fastidious attention to detail on his body saw him head to the US in the pre-season where he trained at the Red Bull High Performance Centre with teammate Charlie Dixon and Western Bulldogs star Marcus Bontempelli.
The 265-gamer and two-time All Australian has revealed he feared his shoulder may not be the same after off-season surgery.
“To be perfectly honest, I was pretty nervous about getting back into training with the shoulder,” he said.
“Before I went to America I was struggling a fair bit with it, it was pretty painful and I was doubting whether I could get it right and play footy to be honest.
“It was the biggest op I’ve ever had.
“I got hit in the GWS game midway through the year and didn’t know the extent of the damage until we went in for surgery on the labrum tear and two-and-a-half hours later they’d repaired three of the tendons so it was a lot more than I thought.
“I was in a sling for six weeks which was pretty challenging mentally because you’re not sleeping very well and I had my knee done at the same time so I was basically lying on the couch for a period.
“But once I went to America we pushed it a lot quicker than I thought I could have and having hands-on help with Red Bull I was able to get a lot more range and mobility in it.
“Then to do some strength work with Austin (Einhorn) who I’ve worked with the last three years, I came back in a lot better state, did no contact until mid-January and getting a few hits there was a bit of uncertainty still.
“But in that first Marsh Series game against Brisbane my arm got pinned behind my back and there was no pain and I thought ‘beautiful, we’re right to go’.”
What made Boak so eager to re-sign and what gets him out of bed every morning is wanting to be part of the youth-driven revolution at Alberton, with Mitch Georgiades debuting in Round 1, and the likes of Jackson Mead and Miles Bergman pressing for selection, after seeing what Connor Rozee, Zak Butters and Xavier Duursma did last season.
“Towards the end of your career you want to have something other than your self-motivation that creates a bit of excitement for you, and these guys have for our group to keep going,” Boak said.
“The thing is it’s not just about their ability, what you see on the field is providing so much for us and they’re almost winning games, but it’s the way they go about it that excites me, they want to learn and get better.
“If you have a kid who comes in with a heap of talent and doesn’t care about getting better you think ‘is he going to be someone who takes this club forward?’
“But these kids constantly want to get better and do everything they can, they have huge respect for everyone at the footy club, but at the same time they’ll go out with a lot of swagger and belief that they’re the best players out there and that’s exactly the attitude you’ve got to have.
“To be around that is what excites me and I know Robbie and Westy (Justin Westhoff) and Ebo (Brad Ebert) as well, we know they’re going to take this club forward and we want to be a part of that for as long as we can.”
Premiership or not, when Boak finishes his career, how well prepared the young guns are to take over will be part of his legacy.
“That’s the higher purpose of why we’re doing what we’re doing,” he said.
“The dream is to win a flag, but if we can leave the club in a really good place, build the culture for these guys to take forward is something we can be really proud of whether we win a flag or not.”
Boak’s motivation to help his young teammates is driven by memories of what Steven Salopek did for him when he first arrived at Port Adelaide from Victoria in 2006.
“He (Salopek) was the first one I really connected with, we had a simliar backstory losing a parent, and he was one who took me in early days,” Boak said.
“I stayed with him in my first year before Christmas and he welcomed me into his house, and as a player and the way he trained, how hard he worked, and as a genuine person and the care he had for people was something I admired.
“That’s what I learnt from him.
“You learn your skills and craft if you put your mind to it, but you can learn from other people as well if you keep your eyes open to it.
“I was very fortunate to learn from Sal in that aspect and I’ll be extremely grateful for that forever.
“He has helped me understand that football isn’t everything and being a good person, being part of society and helping people if one of, if not the most, important thing.”
reece.homfray@news.com.au