Travis Boak is an Australian rules football

Australian rules football

Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...

er currently contracted to the Port Adelaide Football Club

Port Adelaide Football Club

The Port Adelaide Football Club is an Australian rules football club based in Alberton, South Australia, which plays in the Australian Football League and the South Australian National Football League...

 in the Australian Football League

Australian Football League

The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...

 (AFL). He was Port Adelaide's first selection and fifth overall in the 2006 AFL Draft

2006 AFL Draft

The 2006 AFL Draft is a recent national draft of the Australian Football League. The AFL Draft is the annual draft of talented players by Australian rules football teams that participate in the main competition of that sport, the Australian Football League....

 from the Geelong Falcons

Geelong Falcons

The Geelong Falcons are a junior Australian rules football representative club in the TAC Cup competition, Victoria, Australia.The club takes in talented junior players from the Geelong, Colac and Warrnambool regions in order to groom them for AFL selection...

 in the TAC Cup

TAC Cup

The TAC Cup is an under 18 Australian rules football representative competition held in Victoria, Australia. It is based on geographic regions throughout country Victoria and metropolitan Melbourne with each team representing 12 Victorian regions....

.

2007

Boak made his AFL debut in a 31 point victory in Round 12, 2007 against Essendon. Boak continued to rise since his debut, having 23 possessions against the Western Bulldogs

Western Bulldogs

The Western Bulldogs are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based at the Whitten Oval in West Footscray, an inner-western suburb of Melbourne...

 in only his third match. The following week, against Richmond, Boak kicked his first ever AFL goal. Boak's greatest individual achievement came in Round 19, 2007 against Carlton when he earned a NAB Rising Star nomination for his 28 possessions and 2 goals. Boak's first season of AFL football was also memorable in the fact that he was part of the Port Adelaide team which competed in the 2007 AFL Grand Final

2007 AFL Grand Final

The 2007 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Geelong Football Club and the Port Adelaide Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 29 September 2007. It was the 111th annual Grand Final of the VFL/AFL, staged to determine the...

 against Geelong

Geelong Football Club

The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...

. Unfortunately for Boak, he was unable to become a Premiership player in his first season of AFL football as Port Adelaide were convincingly beaten in the Grand Final. He finished the year ranking third in rising star nominations in handballs.

2008

At the start of 2008, Boak picked up where he left off, playing a greater role in the Power midfield alongside senior players such as Domenic Cassisi

Domenic Cassisi

Domenic Cassisi is a premiership winning Australian rules footballer for the Port Adelaide Football Club, and their current captain...

, Kane Cornes

Kane Cornes

Kane Graham Cornes in an Australian rules football player who plays for Port Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League.-Early life:...

 and Shaun Burgoyne

Shaun Burgoyne

Shaun Playford Burgoyne is an Australian rules footballer playing with the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League...

. He played in 17 games and averaged 20.1 disposals.

2009

Boak continued to improve in 2009 winning the Gavin Wanganeen Medal

Gavin Wanganeen Medal

The Gavin Wanganeen Medal is an award presented by the Port Adelaide Power to its best player under the age of 21. The award, struck in 2006, is named after Gavin Wanganeen, a former champion with both Port Adelaide and Essendon who, by the age of 21, had won a SANFL premiership with Port Adelaide,...

 and averaging 23.7 disposals for the season. In round 18 against Hawthorn, Boak totaled a career high of 35 possessions in the Power's win.

2010

On 13 July 2010, despite strong interests from clubs such as Essendon

Essendon Football Club

The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...

, Geelong

Geelong Football Club

The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...

, and the Gold Coast, Boak recommitted to the Power by signing a contract extension.

2011-present

The 2011 season saw Boak play in 21 games and leading club in disposals (458), clearances (79) and inside 50s (85). He along with Jackson Trengove

Jackson Trengove

Jackson Trengove is an Australian rules football player for the Port Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League .-AFL career:...

 were jointly crowned the John Cahill Medal

John Cahill Medal

The John Cahill Medal, named after Port Adelaide Power's inaugural AFL coach John Cahill, is awarded to the Best and Fairest player every season for the Port Adelaide Football Club.-Recipients:-Multiple Recipients:...

list, the first time that there had been a tie at the club's best and fairest award.

Reference