Travis Boak keeps the captaincy — and the same on-field role — at Port Adelaide

TRAVIS Boak will lead Port Adelaide for the sixth consecutive AFL season — and is very clear about his on-field role.

Port Adelaide’s leadership group, from left, Hamish Hartlett, Tom Jonas, Ollie Wines, Captain Travis Boak, Charlie Dixon, Brad Ebert and Tom Rockliff. Picture: Sarah Reed

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IT is “same, same” for Travis Boak as he retains the Port Adelaide AFL captaincy for a record sixth season — and with the same on-field role that forced the midfielder to adjust his game last year.

Boak, 29, takes charge of a leadership group that has expanded from six to seven this season — with Brisbane recruit Tom Rockliff and key forward Charlie Dixon as the new team leaders.

But not changing — despite public commentary launched by Power premiership player Kane Cornes on Boak’s tenure as captain — is Boak’s eagerness to lead Port Adelaide nor his willingness to keep a challenging on-field role in a new-look Power line-up.

“That (debate on the right to the captaincy) will always happen — and those questions will always come up,” said Boak, a 221-game AFL player at Alberton.

“Even internally, we review it — we talk about where we are heading as a leadership group,” added Boak who continues to have fellow midfielder Ollie Wines as his vice-captain and heir apparent.

“I came back (from the end-of-season break in October-November) wanting to still captain this club.

“It is an exciting group to lead — and I am so proud to be involved in this football club — and to captain this club ... and to set the standards that we want to do something pretty special this year.”

Travis Boak brings down Matt Priddis during last year’s elimination final at Adelaide Oval. Picture: Sarah Reed

Boak, a first-round draftee in 2006, rose to the Power captaincy replacing Dom Cassisi in 2013 while establishing his playing resume as a starting-rotation midfielder. Last season he moved to the Port Adelaide half-forward line — and changing into the midfield — and will stay in that role this year as Power midfield coach Michael Voss works new and deeper options, including Rockliff.

“I am extremely clear,” said Boak of what is being asked of him on the field after his realignment as a player created much comment and confusion among analysts last year.

“It is very similar to what I played last year.

“We’ve done a lot of work over the pre-season to not only continue in my role, but a lot of other players in our system. We’ve added more depth with Tom Rockliff (free agency from Brisbane), Steven Motlop (free agency from Geelong) and Jack Watts (trade from Melbourne).

“So we will continue to rotate. To be a strong contender you need to have a lot of depth in the midfield and forward line to have ‘double threats’.

“My role will continue to be the same ... midfield/forward.”

Boak accepts — and feels well-adjusted to — a role that will assign more time to his work as a forward rather than in the midfield.

“I’m starting to play more forward than I have before, but I don’t think it is too hard — just a bit different as a role,” Boak said. “But I absolutely love it and will continue to love it because it is an important role for the team.”