Port Adelaide stars Travis Boak and Robbie Gray take time away from club to support bushfire-ravaged East Gippsland area
Port Adelaide stars Travis Boak and Robbie Gray brought smiles to kids’ faces when they held a free footy clinic at a local Victorian football club on Saturday to support the bushfire-ravaged East Gippsland area.
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Port Adelaide stars Travis Boak and Robbie Gray visited Victoria on Saturday to support the bushfire-ravaged East Gippsland area.
After friends of a family member lost their home in the bushfires, Gray – who was joined by Boak on the trip – was given permission to miss the Power's Saturday morning training session to run a free football clinic and question and answer session at the Paynesville Football Club at 2pm the same day.
The pair were to return to Adelaide on Sunday.
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Robbie Gray and Travis Boak were absolute class today at Paynesville Football Club. Not a single kid missed out on an autograph or a photo #smilesonfaces @PAFC @travisboak10 pic.twitter.com/Ehj3V4roVX
— AFL Gippsland (@AFLGippsland) January 18, 2020
A Port spokesman said the club was happy that Gray and Boak had shown support for the East Gippsland community and that missing a 90-minute training session would not affect his preparation for the 2020 season.
The Power duo were joined at the clinic by a “surprise” guest – Western Bulldogs star Marcus Bontempelli – who was also a welcome addition to the event.
Gray, a 31-year-old, four-times All-Australian and triple club champion is a Victorian who was drafted at pick 55 at the 2006 national draft from the Oakleigh Chargers.
He has turned out to be one of the draft’s great steals, playing 218 games and kicking 318 goals for the Power and still being at the top of his game.
â¤ï¸â¤ï¸â¤ï¸ pic.twitter.com/qyVeD4W9He
— AFL Gippsland (@AFLGippsland) January 18, 2020
Boak was born in Geelong and played his under 18 football with the Geelong Falcons before being drafted to Port Adelaide with pick 5, also in the 2006 national draft, and has gone on to play 264 games, become a two-times All-Australian, a dual club champion and past captain of the Power.
Gray has trimmed down this off-season, with assistant coach Brett Montgomery saying the midfielder/forward is in better shape than he was at the same time last year.
“He’s done a high level of training to this point and is certainly moving better than at this time last year,’’ he said.
“We’re really happy with where he’s at.’’
Bushfires in East Gippsland have devastated tourist towns, with Paynesville, Lakes Entrance, Metung, Bairnsdale and other destinations just starting to get back on their feet after being deserted when fires ravaged the region, sparking mass evacuations.
It is feared tens of millions of visitor dollars will be lost this summer due to the bushfires crisis, with locals calling on tourists to flock back to the area in their summer holidays.
Federal Member for Gippsland Darren Chester said he would call on his Cabinet colleagues and the state government for a multimillion-dollar investment in walking trails, camping grounds, boat ramps and other tourism assets to help the region recover.