Travis Boak feels no pressure from Port Adelaide

VICTORIAN midfielder Travis Boak is not being put under pressure as he decides whether to be nearer to his family or stay at Port Adelaide.

Travis Boak

TRAVIS Boak is not being put under pressure from his club as he decides whether to be nearer to his family in Victoria or stay at Port Adelaide.

But Travis Boak is not being put under pressure, as the fellow Victorian midfielder decides whether to be nearer to his family home or stay at Port Adelaide.

Boak lost his father, Roger, to cancer at age 48 in 2005, the year before the Power called Boak's name at No. 5 in the national draft.

Both Boak and Dangerfield, brought to Adelaide by the lottery of the AFL draft, are extremely close to their families.

At the family home at Jan Juc, by the Great Ocean Rd, are his mother Chicki and his two sisters, Sarah and Cassie.

"My family is very close to me - and they would love to have me home," said Boak yesterday.

"But my mum and my sisters would never put (pressure) that on me."

At Alberton is another family close to Boak.

In the past year, fellow Victorians - Alipate Carlile, John Butcher and Jackson Trengove - have chosen to stay at Port, regardless of the "go-home" factor and all the doubts that surrounded the Power last season.

None have put the pressure on Boak to follow their lead and then become their captain. They cannot compare their decisions with the one Boak is facing - again.

"It is fantastic that the younger players from last year signed up and then Robbie Gray did so this year," said Boak. "I don't feel any pressure to sign - I would sign because I enjoy the club and I enjoy being around the players. I would not do it under pressure.

"The players have been fantastic with that. They have not spoken to me at all."

Boak's previous contract negotiations in 2010 were clouded by the speculation he would join Essendon. This time there is concern Boak has not followed up his pre-season declaration he was happy at Alberton by signing a contract extension already - and claims coach Matthew Primus has offended either Boak or his Melbourne-based manager Tom Petroro.

"It all depends on how everything goes back home talking to my family," said Boak, who will return to the Torquay area of Geelong during the Power's mid-season break in a fortnight.

"Cash is not an issue.

"I don't have a clue (about the fall-out with Primus story). I heard that last week and that is not the case at all. Matty met my manager for the first time last week when he came over and I think they got along pretty well.

"Tom hasn't taken anything bad from what Matthew has said (publicly of Boak and his development as an AFL player).

"That has been blown out of proportion."

Boak is more critical than Primus of his form line.

"At the start of the year, my work rate was not there," said Boak. "Since then I've been training as hard as I can and taking that into games.

"There were times when I should have been running and I wasn't. Little things I had to get back to and understanding the game. I've started to bring that back to my game.

"My aim - like everyone - is to win a premiership. I had that chance in 2007 and to lose that really hurt. At 18 I didn't understand how important it was to win a premiership. Now, going through a bit of hardship, I want to get back that chance to win a flag.

"To win a premiership would be the ultimate."