Toast The Renaissance of Travis Boak

[all seeing eye]

Boak was ok, unfortunately he is a poor finisher in front of the goals. His contribution is still good if not at times frustrating.

 

[Chewy316]

He will always have a reasonable disposal count because his work rate is through the roof. But he's never been a good user of the footy and this year in particular he's had multiple games where his decision making and ball usage were pitiful. Today was one of those games.

Of the players who have played 350+ games, I have no doubt Travis would have the lowest footy IQ of the lot.

At full strength I don't see how he's in Port's best 23. He's not ahead of Rozee, Butters, JHF, Wines or Drew in the guts, whilst Mead, Burgoyne and Bergman have also gone past him.

He will be handy and I'm sure will have a few good moments the rest of this year, but Port should not be keeping him on the list next year unless they have a few ACLs late in August/September which will keep younger players out for the majority of 2025.

 

[LittleLika]

Are you campaigners for real? Jed ****ing McEntee runs around every week with 1 disposal and no influence yet we want to drop a 35 year old still racking up 25+? Take a look at yourselves.

 

[glitch01]

Some overly harsh critics here.
When we were getting smashed today there were a handful of players that actually appeared to care. Obviously JHF, Houston and to a degree Butters were putting in but Boak was one of the other few that actually was prepared to work to get the ball and make it a contest.
We all know his goal kicking is unreliable but I would rather see Boak out there and least competing unlike some others out there. We have a few players who seem to pick and choose when to go....right now he's the least of our problems


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[Wargreymon90]

I can handle the skill errors and him being a bit slow because of age. He does some good things which outweighs those negatives.

What I can’t handle is idiot decisions like trying to pinpoint Marshall in the pocket (in the wet) with minutes to go. One of the dumbest things I’ve seen all year.

 

[TazD]

Are you campaigners for real? Jed ******* McEntee runs around every week with 1 disposal and no influence yet we want to drop a 35 year old still racking up 25+? Take a look at yourselves.

We should drop both.

 

[bomberclifford]

We should tag Boak with McEntee and play two men down.

 

[rogerjames]

When are we gonna call it like it is with this guy?

His career achievements are worth about as much as Kornes 4 best and fairests or Hinkleys 5x coach of the year awards.

We’d be better off with a debut player on the ground in a tight game

Unfortunately he has made a career of missing important goals. Is not a clutch player, never has been. Has never had the required hunger to lead his team to greater heights. That said he has been a good servant to the club.

 

[theouthouse]

He only gets dropped if there is a bulldozer ready to come into the starting 22. One of the very few who were able to compete 1 on 1 contestedly with their opponent in a game where Port were physically annihilated for the vast majority.

 

[Stryke]

He still competes and works harder than most but jeez his kicking for goal and in general play just kills us. You watch Pendles slotting clutch goals for the Pies and just wish if only Trav could do that for us.

 

[PowerBaz]

in 2014 when we blitzed the Tigers I recall he kicked a nice one on traffic then, apart from that he never kicks them in those moments, why?

 

[LittleLika]

We should drop both.

Was really a mixed bag game for Boak, attack on the ball was decent and the chain handballs but he mixed that in with dogshit shots on goal and stupid turnovers at crucial times. In the context of the game yesterday, I'd give him a pass based off his attack on the footy In a game that needed to be won in the contest.

 

[Papa G]

in 2014 when we blitzed the Tigers I recall he kicked a nice one on traffic then, apart from that he never kicks them in those moments, why?

The ball always slides off his boot. On either side. His ball drop/and or his kicking action has always been suspect. He has never improved it..... in 17 seasons on an AFL list. Yeah yeah he works so hard on his fitness, body, connections, Red Bull endorsements and being a great human first, footballer second, we know, but the biggest flaw in his game he has not improved 1 iota in 17 years, often to the clubs great detriment.

 

[Enviable Tradition]

He needs to handball off far more often than he already does.

He just never kicks them.

He'd have been better off chipping to the top of the square than trying to goal on the run from 35 out right in front.

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[VineValerian]

Was really a mixed bag game for Boak, attack on the ball was decent and the chain handballs but he mixed that in with dogshit shots on goal and stupid turnovers at crucial times. In the context of the game yesterday, I'd give him a pass based off his attack on the footy In a game that needed to be won in the contest.

Still gets the pill ok, but either turns it over, slips over, or gets caught these days.

Boak, Burgoyne and Farrell all got enough of the ball, but their hurt factor was close to zero.

 

[LittleLika]

Still gets the pill ok, but either turns it over, slips over, or gets caught these days.

Boak, Burgoyne and Farrell all got enough of the ball, but their hurt factor was close to zero.

Fair point. I'd still love his experience come the tail end of the season

 

[1954]

in 2014 when we blitzed the Tigers I recall he kicked a nice one on traffic then, apart from that he never kicks them in those moments, why?

Boak isn't too dissimilar to Ollie Wines in that both could slot the occasional right foot over left ear hole goal in `traffic,' but that was a long time ago.

They are extremely unreliable set shots with Boak being the worst, including almost certainly costing a Showdown win a couple of seasons back that I suspect regardless of which club they were playing for the vast majority of senior mid fielder types would have kicked.

Harsh maybe, but a mate of mine is of the opinion if he had to score a point from a set shot 30 metres straight out from the goal square to win a game the pill would probably sail out on the full for no score!

 

[Zakk Wylde]

Hasn't kicked a clutch goal since Football Park.

 

[Gryllis]

Now with 0.9 for the year, surely one goes through eventually.

But he is rated elite for behinds.

Seriously though, he should probably stop taking shots and always look to give. His assists inside 50 are actually pretty good. By our team's terrible forward entry standards, anyway.

 

[Peninsula Boy]

I thought he was pretty good today.

He isn't going to set the house on fire but he can come in and fill a role when needed.

Yes, he's going to miss goals and yes, his field kicking is a bit off and sure, he's slower but when Wines went off, he came in and steadied our ship.

I think he's the perfect sub and it could extend his career to 400 games.

I personally would prefer a young guy getting games though.

 

[FishingRick04]

Boak isn't too dissimilar to Ollie Wines in that both could slot the occasional right foot over left ear hole goal in `traffic,' but that was a long time ago.

They are extremely unreliable set shots with Boak being the worst, including almost certainly costing a Showdown win a couple of seasons back that I suspect regardless of which club they were playing for the vast majority of senior mid fielder types would have kicked.

Harsh maybe, but a mate of mine is of the opinion if he had to score a point from a set shot 30 metres straight out from the goal square to win a game the pill would probably sail out on the full for no score!

Maybe he needs to starting looking to kick points and the goals will come?

 

[1954]

Maybe he needs to starting looking to kick points and the goals will come?

You never know that could help. lol

Being serious, I was told by a trainer who was at the club during the first 5 or 6 years of our time in the AFL that Scott Cummings had to be coached to aim at something beyond the goals, and not just the gap between the sticks.
From memory Cummings had played a fair bit in defence for the bombers so it made sense at the time.

You would hope Boak would know the basics, but his body language isn't greatly positive in those situations and he sometimes gives the impression he is kicking in the general direction of the goals and hoping for success.

Further to aiming at something beyond the goal, I can't recall whether it was a radio or tv interview but Studley Cornes said after the 1973 gf when he kicked a goal in the last minute or so of that game from a tight angle at the river end to put the bays back in front, that he aimed the kick at two boys sitting in an old dead tree that used to be just behind the mound on the opposite side of the ground, because they and the tree were directly in line with the centre of the goal from where he was taking his kick.

 

[Teal Leviathan]

Now with 0.9 for the year, surely one goes through eventually

Holding everything else the same, I wonder how different the narrative about Boak in 2024 would be if that tally were 6.3 instead.

 

[AlwaysPort]

Was directly involved in 4 of the 11 goals we kicked

 

[Peninsula Boy]

Was directly involved in 4 of the 11 goals we kicked

He wasn't spectacular but considering how we started the game, I thought he added well into the midfield when Wines went down.

For three quarters in the midfield he had 26 possies, 5 tackles, 7 inside 50s, 9 scoring involvements which shocked me and 555 metres gained. Just very good all round stats.