Travis Boak 350 games - what is his standing in the game?

[Del165198]

Boak will run out for his 350th today. At 35 I still regard him as a guy who plays footy pretty good.

3x AA
2x club champion
6 years as captain
Port Adelaide AFL games record holder

Pretty handy career.

 

[HugeJohnson]

Great club servant, great player, but truth be told, probably not an all-time great of the game.
I do wonder how differently he would be regarded if he was drafted to Geelong and was a part of their multiple premiership teams.
He would probably be regarded as an all time great, at least level with Selwood.
Likewise, drop Selwood in to Port Adelaide and he'd go out with the same reputation as Boak, maybe even lesser.
350 games is a massive effort and I am so glad he has chosen to stay at Port Adelaide all these years when he had an easy option to leave when Geelong came calling. In my eyes he'll always be a legend, but I can understand why he won't be seen like that by those that don't follow Port Adelaide.

 

[Lunchtime]

Good career, 350 games, good effort to get to that mark.

 

[Rich01]

Been excellent for a long time.
If he was at a Melb based club he would have received much more recognition than he has.

But now that he’s got to 350, does Ken ask the question as to whether he is automatically best 22?

Been underwhelming so far this season.
The question will be whether he’s keeping a better younger player out of the side.

Not sure of the Port youngsters playing in the SANFL at the moment, but this year is surely one where Ken goes for it, rather than blood a youngster who isn’t outputting what Travis is currently.

 

[PhatBoy]

Exceptional player, tough, never leaves anything on the field and not dissimilar full stop to Selwood

 

[Roobs321]

Yeah more a club great than a comp great. And even then, wouldn’t be one of the first few Port players neutrals reminisce about.

I always liked him. Was conjecture around him potentially going elsewhere in 2011 but he stuck fast and became a one club servant.

The 2006 draft are my age and him, Goldy & Tomahawk are the only survivors left now I think. Time flies! There were a few better mids in that draft but you’d be very happy with Boak at pick 5.

 

[sleep]

Great club servant, great player, but truth be told, probably not an all-time great of the game.
I do wonder how differently he would be regarded if he was drafted to Geelong and was a part of their multiple premiership teams.
He would probably be regarded as an all time great, at least level with Selwood.
Likewise, drop Selwood in to Port Adelaide and he'd go out with the same reputation as Boak, maybe even lesser.
350 games is a massive effort and I am so glad he has chosen to stay at Port Adelaide all these years when he had an easy option to leave when Geelong came calling. In my eyes he'll always be a legend, but I can understand why he won't be seen like that by those that don't follow Port Adelaide.

Boaks a great player but you're out to lunch if you think he is on par with Selwood.

 

[HugeJohnson]

Boaks a great player but you're out to lunch if you think he is on par with Selwood.

If Boak played for Geelong and had the same team success he absolutely would be.

 

[DanA]

Above Cotchin, below Selwood, on par with Pendlebury.

Seriously though, while that’s not the order I’d put them I think they all belong on roughly the same tier minus the premierships.

 

[Captain_Bender]

Boaks a great player but you're out to lunch if you think he is on par with Selwood.

Or it shows you how overrated Selwood was

 

[kreuze_missile]

Great club servant

Sums him up perfectly. Nothing more, nothing less.

No place in the Selwood/Cotchin conversation given he won zero flags as captain.

 

[FootyLad0]

Or it shows you how overrated Selwood was

You did not just say that…someone close this guys account.

 

[Golden_6]

Great club servant, great player, but truth be told, probably not an all-time great of the game.
I do wonder how differently he would be regarded if he was drafted to Geelong and was a part of their multiple premiership teams.
He would probably be regarded as an all time great, at least level with Selwood.
Likewise, drop Selwood in to Port Adelaide and he'd go out with the same reputation as Boak, maybe even lesser.
350 games is a massive effort and I am so glad he has chosen to stay at Port Adelaide all these years when he had an easy option to leave when Geelong came calling. In my eyes he'll always be a legend, but I can understand why he won't be seen like that by those that don't follow Port Adelaide.

Funnily enough, the first person I thought of was Joel Selwood. As a pure football player, there’s many arguments that they were comparable players.

Joel will always be held as a higher level because he was part of one of the greatest teams of all time and was a premiership captain.

 

[FootyLad0]

Funnily enough, the first person I thought of was Joel Selwood. As a pure football player, there’s many arguments that they were comparable players.

Joel will always be held as a higher level because he was part of one of the greatest teams of all time and was a premiership captain.

Boaky is a phenomenal bloke and amazing player, don’t know if he’s as natural a leader as Selwood was from Day 1 but he definitely grew in it.

More of a, “let my play do the talking” kind of leader than a vocal one.

 

[sleep]

Or it shows you how overrated Selwood was

Log off mate...

 

[Captain_Bender]

Log off mate...

Bit insecure over Selwood aren't you

 

[Cleansweep17]

You did not just say that…someone close this guys account.

Tbf Selwood did only captain 1 flag in a team that made so many finals it’s not funny.

But I agree he’s in the tier above Boak.

 

[Del165198]

I mean statistically they're basically identical over their careers. Selwood averages a kick more, which isn't surprising as he averages 2.5 free kicks a game to Boak's 1.

Selwood played in about 80 more wins across his career, so played in much better sides.

The idea that there's a vast gulf between them is a bit ridiculous. Selwood gets the nod because he's more clutch than Boak.

 

[T2B_]

Well he's the reason Port still almost exists according to Ken, so there's that.

 

[Cleansweep17]

I mean statistically they're basically identical over their careers. Selwood averages a kick more, which isn't surprising as he averages 2.5 free kicks a game to Boak's 1.

Selwood played in about 80 more wins across his career, so played in much better sides.

The idea that there's a vast gulf between them is a bit ridiculous. Selwood gets the nod because he's more clutch than Boak.

The issue is looking at their awards, Selwood has much better individual awards and vastly superior success.

I’d say Selwood is in the Cotch, Voss, Hodge tier of Captains.

I don’t think I can say the same about Boak. He’s in the Pendles tier below.

 

[JustaBattler]

One of my favourite players over the last ten years - a genuine champion of the game - always fair always strong and obviously a great Clubman.

 

[Del165198]

The issue is looking at their awards, Selwood has much better individual awards and vastly superior success.

I’d say Selwood is in the Cotch, Voss, Hodge tier of Captains.

I don’t think I can say the same about Boak. He’s in the Pendles tier below.

Yes, as a leader I don't think it's debatable that he's well ahead.

I meant purely comparing their output as players I don't think there's that much difference.

 

[Cleansweep17]

Yes, as a leader I don't think it's debatable that he's well ahead.

I meant purely comparing their output as players I don't think there's that much difference.

Well I guess it’s what stats you want to look at but Selwood has double the amount of AAs and more B&Fs. For me that’s a big difference given Boak doesn’t have something else to outweigh that.

Doesn’t matter anyway he is still a great player.

 

[Lunchtime]

The issue is looking at their awards, Selwood has much better individual awards and vastly superior success.

I’d say Selwood is in the Cotch, Voss, Hodge tier of Captains.

I don’t think I can say the same about Boak. He’s in the Pendles tier below.

If we are talking only about captains and their leadership and putting a team on there back saying "let's go" then Selwood is up there as is Cotchin, in my opinion.

Book is probably in the tier below but still a good player, good captain too

 

[Cyclops]

Very tough, very good skills and didn't wilt under pressure.

I don't recall him backing down ever, a hard but fair player.

Very typical of the Port Adelaide ideal, just hard at it all the time.